Darcey Bussell News

London is never short of temptations, whether splashy West End shows, epic dramas or bold fringe offerings. From a new British musical to starry Mamet and cheeky burlesque, here are some of this month's most eye-catching openings. Don't forget to check back for BroadwayWorld's reviews

Ubisoft announced today its first foray in to live entertainment experience with a pilot tour of JUST DANCE LIVE, an immersive and interactive experience, based on the #1 music video game franchise of all time. The tour will play locally at Aon Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier in Chicago (March 15-18).

Ubisoft announced today its first foray in to live entertainment experience with a pilot tour of JUST DANCE LIVE, an immersive and interactive experience, based on the #1 music video game franchise of all time.

Today Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) Chief Executive John Kotzas officially welcomed The Royal Ballet to Brisbane at a company rehearsal for Woolf Works with the company's Director Kevin O'Hare and Choreographer of Woolf Works Wayne McGregor.  

For its 30th Anniversary Season, The National Youth Ballet of Great Britain ("The NYB") will present Time in Motion, a mixed programme of ballets choreographed by some of the UKs most eminent professionals and rising talents, performed by a company of young dancers aged 8-18 from across the UK.

Sisters Grimm are delighted that Nathalie Harrison, First Artist at The Royal Ballet will join the cast of VOICES OF THE AMAZON, with kind permission from Kevin O'Hare, Artistic Director of The Royal Ballet.

Matthew Bourne's acclaimed new production of THE RED SHOES had its Sadler's Wells press night this week and a special gala performance last night. The show runs until 29 January, 2017.

New English Ballet Theatre is holding an online Silent Auction and Christmas Gift Fair for the month of November.

The National Youth Ballet of Great Britain is delighted to announce the appointment of its new Artistic Director, Mikah Smillie. Following the passing of the company's Founding Director Jill Tookey in March this year, Mikah was appointed Artistic Director in Residence and led the 2016 Season including a sell-out Memorial Gala performance at Sadler's Wells in September. Mikah now joins National Youth Ballet on a permanent basis and will lead the company into its 30th Anniversary Year in 2017. 

National Youth Ballet is delighted to announce that Joanna Lumley will host a special Memorial Gala performance at Sadler's Wells on Sunday 4 September, celebrating the company's inspirational Founder and Artistic Director Jill Tookey, who passed away in March this year.

LISA CHALMERS-NAUMANN and PHILLIP BROOMHEAD will be members of the faculty for the Shreveport Dance Academy's Summer Intensive from August 1-5, 2016 in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Big Dance 2016 was launched yesterday in London's Trafalgar Square by Darcey Bussell, Akram Khan, Big Dance director Jacqueline Rose, Alistair Spalding and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. Big Dance Week runs 2 to 10 July 2016 and celebrates a decade of festivals, coming to a close this year. Khan has choreographed a mass dance, which will be performed by hundreds in Trafalgar Square tomorrow, and there are numerous free events, performances, workshops, film screenings and debates, created by and with communities all over London, the UK and internationally. Find more information and a full programme here.

Big Dance Week 2016, running from 2 to 10 July 2016, will be launched with a mass dance performance by hundreds of dancers in Trafalgar Square choreographed by Akram Khan on Saturday 2 July. This year's event is the final Big Dance, and celebrates a decade of festivals.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts begins its 30th Anniversary celebration with another one-night-only star-studded evening of dance: Tour de Force III. The performance will be the first event to represent the array and diversity of the Center's artistic programming, in this case, 30 years of presenting the greatest ballet companies and the world's most celebrated dancers. Tour de Force III will be on Saturday, August 27 in Segerstrom Hall. Produced in collaboration with Ardani Artists, the program will include four Center premieres: Clay by Vladimir Varnava, Zeitgeist by Alastair Marriott, Tristesse by Marcelo Gomes and Le Divertissement du Roi by Maxim Petrov. The international cast includes Diana Vishneva, Joaquin de Luz, Marcelo Gomes, Denis Matvienko, Marcelino Sambe?, Friedemann Vogel and Edward Watson, as well as members of the The Royal Ballet, Mariinsky Ballet and the National Ballet of Canada.

For its 2016 Season, the National Youth Ballet of Great Britain will present a special programme of performances celebrating its inspirational Founder and Artistic Director Jill Tookey, who passed away in March this year. The 2016 National Youth BalletCompany will perform at the Hawth Theatre, Crawley on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 August, with a special Memorial Gala performance at Sadler's Wells on Sunday 4 September.

Two girls, five boys, mind-blowing beatboxing, breathtaking harmonies, superlative arrangements, stunning choreography, visual technicolor and one helluva show. GOBSMACKED! is set to blast into London this Summer as the brand new a cappella show takes over The Udderbelly on the Southbank in June and July.

The full programme has today been announced for the inaugural FRAME London Dance Film Festival. The vast programme of films and events is to take place from 9 to 12 June 2016 in Kingston-upon-Thames, London. Presented by the UK's pioneering dance company BalletBoyz in association with dancescreen, the festival is set to offer a unique opportunity to enjoy the best creative talent in dance and film to the general public, as well engaging broadcasters, video artists and choreographers. Over the three days, there are over 122 films screening with 11 World Premieres, 8 International, 4 European and 28 UK Premieres amongst the new work. These will be presented alongside classic films for all ages led by a celebration of Gene Kelly, dance performances and outdoor and family activities at various venues across the town.

Casting for the first two weeks of American Ballet Theatre's 2016 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

American Ballet Theatre's 2016 Spring season will be highlighted by a World Premiere work by Alexei Ratmansky, the American Premiere of Ratmansky's The Golden Cockerel and a revival of Frederick Ashton's La Fille mal gardee. Tickets for ABT's Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House go on sale at the box office on Sunday, March 20 at 12 Noon.

?Two girls, five boys, mind-blowing beatboxing, breathtaking harmonies, superlative arrangements, stunning choreography, visual technicolor and one helluva show.  Gobsmacked! is set to blast into London this Summer as the brand new a cappella show takes over The Udderbelly on the Southbank in June and July.