Home from Home
We're working hard to create new content and re-share some of our favourites from past years to help keep you entertained during #selfisolation.
We're posting highlights below, but you can keep up to date with everything by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
'This was the first pas de deux I danced with Company and its a beautiful representation of classical technique and partnering.' Tyrone Singleton
This exquisite pas de deux from Kenneth MacMillan's Concerto, was captured during a stage rehearsal in 2017 with no intention of using the recording for broadcast. It features Jenna Roberts and Tyrone Singleton, with Jonathan Higgins on piano.
Today is the 29th anniversary of the premiere of Sir Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet. Following @brumhippodrome's announcement, we've sadly had to postpone our autumn shows. However we couldn't resist sharing the heat, passion and excitement of this undoubted masterpiece. pic.twitter.com/tl8hohFo5L
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) June 1, 2020
45 seconds of pure bliss - Laura Day and Tzu-Chao Chou rehearsing part of the beautiful Act I pas de deux from The Nutcracker. pic.twitter.com/Frtyo0EtJm
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 31, 2020
If it's getting 'Too Darn Hot' out in the sunshine today, we recommend you find some shade and kickback to this #SundaySoundtrack from Royal Ballet Sinfonia Cello Jane Rainey: lots of beautiful classics, some jazz greats and more: https://t.co/IjfEYwjTbhpic.twitter.com/clwyUra3is
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 31, 2020
We're flashing back to our double bill from Summer 2018, featuring Sir David Bintley's The King Dances and the world premiere of Juanjo Arqués's Ignite. This is the studio trailer we created starring @YijingYj , @max_maslen, @CelineGittens and @blawrence155. pic.twitter.com/UtNxrXTnqR
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 30, 2020
This Friday we're casting our eyes back to An Evening of Music and Dance in 2009 at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, when former Principals Jenna Roberts and Robert Parker danced the beautiful pas de deux from Ashton's The Two Pigeons. pic.twitter.com/TPpoPouJqX
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 29, 2020
On this day in 1913, The Rite of Spring had its premiere in Paris, after which Nijinsky's choreography was sadly lost. In 2005, BRB was fortunate enough to dance this piece, as reconstructed over several decades by Millicent Hodson and Kenneth Archer.
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 29, 2020
Photos by Bill Cooper. pic.twitter.com/Ade9db91uN
Shine a little happiness into your Wednesday evening with a glimpse into Sir Frederick Ashton' brilliant comedy La Fille mal gardée, a true tale of country love! pic.twitter.com/BYsaj1YS4E
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 27, 2020
As Coppélia was 150 on Monday, we thought this would be a great chance to share with you again one of our lovely workshops from 2017, where the young dancers of Bristol became living dolls! pic.twitter.com/OUWxEy094U
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 27, 2020
Another lovely piece of music played by our @BRB_RBSinfonia Double Bass Vera Pereira and her husband Ariel Lang. This time they are playing Dance of the Knights from the romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet. pic.twitter.com/WELIFPCf2U
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 26, 2020
We hope you're all enjoying your Bank Holiday! #MondayFunday
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 25, 2020
To continue the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Coppélia premiere, we wanted to share a trailer of this timeless classic from the golden age of classical ballet and one of the greatest works of the 19th century. pic.twitter.com/fjHzbvZjUQ
Royal Ballet Sinfonia First Violin Deborah Schlenther gives us today's #SundaySoundtrack, packed full of variety from Perez Prado to Prokofiev. 50 minutes of fabulous music to light up your Sunday: https://t.co/zoWyP4mJpcpic.twitter.com/Xfz1Z0L0Py
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 24, 2020

#SUPPORTUS
We have been touched by the many kind messages of solidarity and support from our friends across the UK, and beyond. Many have asked how they can help during this uncertain time. Donations will help enormously. Thank you for being with us.
Or Else We Are Lost is a new work created by Kit Holder, Dan Lowenstein and Tom Rogers. It speaks to both the frustration of enforced confinement and the necessity of dancing.
The film features Birmingham Royal Ballet dancers Céline Gittens and Max Maslen with an electronic score by Dave Crowe. Creative team Kit Holder, Tom Rogers and Dan Lowenstein.
Originally posted for World Ballet Day 2018, in this short film, @max_maslen and @ty_sing talk about Sir David Bintley's The King Dances, a ballet about Louis XIV and the origins of ballet, and the challenges of male partnering. pic.twitter.com/ygS0nYVIMF
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 23, 2020
Artist and Painter James Eccleston has been kind enough to sketch some images of our amazing dancers from BRB and Freefall Dance Company.
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 23, 2020
Here is a short video which shows some of the work he has produced focusing on beautiful and dynamic shapes, gestures and lines. pic.twitter.com/Q7ybtK8YL3
#HappyFriday
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 22, 2020
To start off your morning, we wanted to share a video of our Principal Dancer Mathias Dingman practising his jumps in the garden and making the most of the sunny weather! pic.twitter.com/vnz2ThOU7X
This #ThrowbackThursday we're taking you back to 2010 to what was then Sir David Bintley's new, revised ballet of Cyrano. Here he is rehearsing a pas de deux danced by former BRB dancers Iain Mackay and Elisha Willis. pic.twitter.com/xZeDvvJG8B
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 21, 2020
A recording of the beautiful Wedding pas de deux from Don Quixote, performed by Principals Mathias Dingman and Momoko Hirata, and Pianist Jonathan Higgins, at HSBC headquarters during an event to celebrate Carlos Acosta's arrival in Birmingham. pic.twitter.com/n1pYC2IdoB
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 20, 2020
We are taking you back to World Ballet Day 2019 with this fun video!
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 19, 2020
Soloists Laura Day and Tom Rogers, and Principal Tyrone Singleton explore the rarely seen delights (or not) of a dancer’s tour box. pic.twitter.com/sO5pOdemnn
In the latest @TomAndTyTalk podcast @_stevenmcrae@TheRoyalBallet tells how the drive and dedication that took him to the top of the ballet world stays strong after his fourth surgery; he also talks studying, the power of dance, and life on social media: https://t.co/u18h79T3hPpic.twitter.com/SkQfvE8Xh1
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 19, 2020
'It's good to show our imperfections instead of photoshopping all that goodness away.' International dance photographer @KarolinaKuras (@nationalballet, @enballet, @sfballet, @abtofficial) discusses authenticity and more with @tomandtytalk! Listen: https://t.co/8EG2Q9LGTVpic.twitter.com/GLuRUJa3oz
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 18, 2020
In their latest podcast @TomAndTyTalk talk to Ty's old schoolmate @DrewMcOnie, now a highly successful choreographer and Olivier Award winner. Click to listen: https://t.co/NXmNFEYQdepic.twitter.com/WEvFKiTXC0
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 12, 2020
David Bintley made this pas de deux for Principals Iain Mackay and Jenna Roberts in 2018, their last season with the Company. Spartacus, leader of a slave revolt, is reunited with his wife Phrygia after rescuing her from the Romans. pic.twitter.com/C3Xe0DxwaO
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 17, 2020
Frederick Ashton's Les Rendezvous was one of the works performed by the Company in its first season as Birmingham Royal Ballet. This flirtatious and lighter-than-air ballet is a showcase of pure dance technique. This stage rehearsal, from 2014, features Chi Cao and Nao Sakuma. pic.twitter.com/PvBkX0cmYM
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 16, 2020
Today marks not only the birthday of composer and conductor, John Lanchbery, one of the most important figures in 20th-century ballet, but also the 20th anniversary of Birmingham Royal Ballet's first performance of Ashton's The Two Pigeons, which Lanchbery revised for Ashton. pic.twitter.com/pxxOd3d6co
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 15, 2020
In Le Spectre de la rose a young girl dreams of dancing with the spirit of a beautiful rose, a souvenir from her first ball. Here César Morales and Arancha Baselga rehearse for our 2018 Evening of Music and Dance. pic.twitter.com/I3qYQ1Mi6L
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 15, 2020
Let's clap again this evening for our amazing NHS!
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 14, 2020
BRB's Costume Maker and Pattern Cutter Anna Willetts, has traded in costumes for NHS scrubs. Anna stepped in to make scrubs for the surgery her sister works at, providing them with protection. pic.twitter.com/Qi2KyN2VeT
It's #ThrowbackThursday once more, and our latest deep dive into the archives takes us back a decade to a revival of Sir David Bintley's stunning Allegri diversi. Here we see former Principals Nao Sakuma and Chi Cao rehearsing a section of this virtuoso ballet. pic.twitter.com/W5h2ZwwlW7
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 14, 2020
"Homemade': this short dance film is aptly named as it was conceived, created and performed by dancer Gabriel Anderson, his first time filming and editing a dance piece. He even made the tights he's wearing!
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 13, 2020
Filmed & Danced by @Ganders97
Music: 'Night Out' by LiQWYD pic.twitter.com/viiCGVVyaI
Assistant Director Marion Tait is not the only member of the company with green fingers. Join Principal @tzuchaochou in his gorgeous custom-made garden that he has designed and built himself. He shows us how he's spent the last few weeks creating his own wildlife pond. pic.twitter.com/371DUG580w
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 13, 2020
A lovely rehearsal clip from David Bintley's glorious Gothic ballet production Beauty and the Beast, danced by Principal Dancer Brandon Lawrence and First Soloist Yvette Knight. pic.twitter.com/y6oQTqeXhM
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 12, 2020
Happy Monday! Here's a little something from the archives to pick up your Monday morning. Karla Doorbar rehearses the bubbly Polka from an Ashton work created in the very earliest days of British ballet, Façade. pic.twitter.com/ZDlI0RZZb4
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 11, 2020
ICYMI
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 9, 2020
"Lockdown", the latest Tom & Ty Talk, is out! Victoria Marr & Daria Stanciulescu join @TomAndTyTalk to discuss the challenges and unexpected pleasures of staying at home: think ballet on the landing, amateur hairdressing and multi-purpose spaces... https://t.co/DulnrtxuEXpic.twitter.com/aJKMlKLjfU
To continue celebrating Tchaikovsky's 180th birthday, we're sharing this trailer for Sir Peter Wright's The Sleeping Beauty. We hope you enjoy the marvellous mixture of virtuoso dance, fairytale characters and dazzling spectacle that has delighted audiences for nearly 130 years! pic.twitter.com/FhpxEV7ReY
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 8, 2020
Alone I Together - a short dance film
Premiered on 29 April 2020 to mark #InternationalDanceDay
Creative Director Tom Rogers; Choreographer Kit Holder; Editor Dan Lowenstein
Birmingham Royal Ballet Conductor Philip Ellis has laid down his baton in exchange for a paintbrush while he's had extra time on his hands in isolation at home.
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) April 29, 2020
Here he shows us a selection of his amazing work and explains some of his process!@BRB_RBSinfoniapic.twitter.com/M6PCIHlipP
Two years ago, we launched a series of new-style trailers for the first of our Ballet Now commissions. The mixed bill, Polarity & Proximity, featured Twyla Tharp's In the Upper Room, Alexander Whitley's Kin and the world premiere of George Williamson's Embrace. pic.twitter.com/PAWgiIOvJc
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 3, 2020
Our percussion section from @BRB_RBSinfonia are stuck at home without any of their instruments. Never ones to balk at a challenge, they've worked out a way to be creative.
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 6, 2020
A great rendition of Léo Delibes' 'Musique des automates' from Act II of Coppélia.@tomedwards82pic.twitter.com/D7NZeISebH
This week we are wishing world-renowned composer Tchaikovsky a very happy 180th birthday!
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 5, 2020
To kick-start the celebrations, Royal Ballet Sinfonia cellists António Novais and Jane Rainey perform the Dance of the Mirlitons from The Nutcracker in their own arrangement! pic.twitter.com/Ptbk3TTvKe
We end our celebration of the birthdays of Shakespeare and Prokofiev with the balcony pas de deux from Sir Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet, danced by former Principals Jenna Roberts and Jamie Bond during the Ballet Hoo! final performance in 2006.https://t.co/tcbTFWbDYMpic.twitter.com/uUZuDx48Th
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) April 26, 2020
84 years ago today, Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf had its premiere.
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 2, 2020
Two years ago, @ruthbrill created her own unique take on the piece for Birmingham Royal Ballet. Here's another chance to see the lovely short trailer Granville Road created for us. pic.twitter.com/6e7BMdTlSL

#SundaySoundtrack
In the first of a new series from colleagues across the Company, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia's First Trombone Amos Miller shares his Isolation Playlist. 'I am totally obsessed with listening, and have compiled around 50 playlists so far. This one for Birmingham Royal Ballet is a stream-of-thought “first-come, first-served” of music I have been loving recently.'

#SundaySoundtrack
Continuing our series of #SundaySoundtrack Isolation Playlists, Royal Ballet Sinfonia Principal Tuba David Gordon-Shute talks us through his selection.

#SundaySoundtrack
Royal Ballet Sinfonia Second Violin Robert Simmons talks us through his selection. 'I could have made this a double album for sure! I think it’s eclectic and I hope you enjoy it. Music makes a difference and I’m missing playing with the Sinfonia and Birmingham Royal Ballet.'

Beauty and the Beast:
A lovely rehearsal clip from David Bintley's glorious Gothic ballet production Beauty and the Beast, danced by Principal Dancer Brandon Lawrence and First Soloist Yvette Knight.

Cinderella: Act II pas de deux
Taking another look back at Sir David Bintley's Cinderella, this time with former dancers Jenna Roberts and William Bracewell rehearsing part of the gorgeous and wonderful Act II pas de deux.

The Shakespeare Suite: Romeo and Juliet
Take another look at Sir David Bintley's Duke Ellington inspired The Shakespeare Suite as former Principals Jenna Roberts and Jamie Bond rehearse the roles of Romeo and Juliet.

#BeRightBack
We have been touched by the many kind messages of solidarity and support from our friends across the UK, and beyond. Many have asked how they can help during this uncertain time. Donations to the #BeRightBack appeal will help enormously. Thank you for being with us.

Creating a storm: looking back at The Tempest
We're delighted to give you another opportunity to see the short documentary made in the lead up to the world premiere of Sir David Bintley's final work as Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, The Tempest. Delve behind the scenes of a new three-act ballet and see choreography, music, design and lighting all come together into a brand-new ballet.

Looking back to Ballet Hoo!
Birmingham Royal Ballet's extraordinary, ground-breaking 2006 project, Ballet Hoo! Ballet Changed My Life, proof, if any were needed, of the power of dance to change lives. Filmed by Channel4 as a four-part documentary, more than 60 young people stayed with the project through to the final stage: a slightly adapted, but unforgettable performance of Romeo and Juliet with full sets, costumes and orchestra, and with the great majority of the roles danced by the young people themselves.
We were thrilled to collaborate with award-winning choreographer/director Corey Baker and Hong Kong Ballet on this new dance film, Spaghetti Junction, launched on 22 April to celebrate Earth Day 2020. Filmed on location beneath Birmingham’s (in)famous interchange Spaghetti Junction, the film brings attention to the climate change crisis. It features our own Augustus Payne and Haoliang Feng alongside Forrest Rain Oliveros from Hong Kong Ballet #SpaghettiJunctionDanceFilm
Director/Choreographer Corey Baker
Music FKJ, Lying Together (Interlude)
Supported by Arts Council England, West Midlands Growth Company, Birmingham Hippodrome, Southside BID

Giselle Makeup Challenge
As part of last year's World Ballet Day, First Artists Alys Shee and Daria Stanciulescu went head to head in a Giselle-inspired makeup challenge.
Who would reign supreme? Watch to find out!

Edward II
On 15 April 1995, Stuttgart Ballet gave the world premiere of Sir David Bintley's epic Edward II, with a score by the late John McCabe.
Here we look back at the ballet as danced by Birmingham Royal Ballet, including members of the original UK cast.
Music performed by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia and Barry Wordsworth, and used by kind permission of Hyperion Records.

Rehearsing The Dream
#ThrowbackThursday We're throwing back over a decade, to 2009, when Dame Antoinette Sibley and Sir Anthony Dowell joined us to coach Oberon and Titania, the roles they originally created for Sir Frederick Ashton in The Dream.
This seven-minute film features former Principals Natasha Oughtred and Joseph Caley, and is introduced by Assistant Director (then Ballet Mistress) Marion Tait.
As part of our celebrations of Tchaikovsky's 180th birthday, we thought it would be lovely to share this video of Royal Ballet Sinfonia's @VeraAPereira, Principal Double Bass, and her husband Ariel Lang playing the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker. pic.twitter.com/vfIurpmJW2
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) May 7, 2020
Happy birthday, Shakespeare and Prokofiev!
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) April 20, 2020
We will be sharing a variety of pieces to celebrate these masters of their craft. @BRB_RBSinfonia's Michael Allen (Principal Trumpet) plays music from the Mandolin Dance in Romeo and Juliet, penned by Shakespeare & scored by Prokofiev pic.twitter.com/zDJgGWBs1T
#ThrowbackThursday
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) April 16, 2020
We are throwing back to 2018 when BRB performed The Sleeping Beauty, with a classical score by Tchaikovsky and original choreography by Marius Petipa. @BRB_RBSinfonia's Principal Bassist Vera Pereira and her husband Ariel Lang play the Act I Waltz! pic.twitter.com/hR20I0bHgQ
Andrew Littlemore, Principal Horn of @BRB_RBSinfonia, performs the beautiful moment from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet when Juliet and Romeo are married in secret by Friar Laurence.#ShareYourShakespearepic.twitter.com/UG23O88arB
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) April 23, 2020
Join our friends @RoyalOperaHouse and @TheRoyalBallet for an online broadcast of The Metamorphosis!
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) April 17, 2020
BRB's Soloist, Laura Day, makes an appearance in this 2013 dance-theatre work by Arthur Pita. An adaptation of Kafka's novella at 7pm this evening!https://t.co/CPtPJfLeuJpic.twitter.com/8dTE1OrJcQ
Happy World Art Day!
— Birmingham Royal Ballet (@BRB) April 15, 2020
In 2018, as part of our Ballet Now commissioning programme, Juanjo Arqués choreographed Ignite, an exploration and interpretation of Turner's The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons (Cleveland Museum of Art, https://t.co/j6bgzGnPyn, Public Domain) pic.twitter.com/FEXGridsJu

Llinos Owen plays Bach
Continuing our celebrations of the music of J.S. Bach, Llinos Owen, of Birmingham Royal Ballet's Royal Ballet Sinfonia, recorded an arrangement of the Courante from his First Cello Suite on her Contra Bassoon.

Pavane pas de deux
This beautiful rehearsal from 2013 of Sir Kenneth MacMillan's exquisite, tranquil Pavane pas de deux features former Principals Jenna Roberts and Iain Mackay. We hope it gives you a moment of peace as the bank holiday comes to an end.

La Fille mal gardée
We can't promise you any Easter eggs, but there are chickens aplenty in this clip from Frederick Ashton's La Fille mal gardée.

Watch our HOME FROM HOME: THE SWAN by clicking the play button above. Or catch up with our HOME FROM HOME, Ballet Class: LIVE broadcast here.

Slaughter on Tenth Avenue
This excerpt from a 2014 stage rehearsal of George Balanchine's Slaughter on Tenth Avenue features Samara Downs and Lachlan Monaghan.

Hobson's Choice
This clip from David Bintley's Hobson's Choice features the original cast of Michael O'Hare as Will Mossop and Karen Donovan as Maggie Hobson.
Click to watch.