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BrumHour saw BRB2 at the invite of Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Ahead of BRB2 touring the UK with Carlos Acosta’s Ballet Celebration, Kit Holder, BRB2’s Artistic Coordinator talked about this year’s tour to Brum Radio’s Interval Theatre. Listen below:

By George Elsmere-Whitney

Carlos Acosta’s Ballet Celebration with BRB2 at Birmingham Hippodrome

BRB2, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s second company, sets off on its third tour of the UK this May, with a gala production of highlights from the repertory of Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes.

The arrival of the Ballets Russes in Paris in 1909 caused a sensation, bringing ballet firmly into the modern world as a serious art form. This production, including highlights chosen by Carlos Acosta from Les Sylphides, Shéhérazade, Les Biches, Le Spectre de la Rose, and The Firebird, is a chance to see the next generation of ballet superstars perform some of the most impactful ballets ever created.

Les Sylphides is an ethereal confection of white tutus, floral headbands, and fairy wings. Deceptively simple, the dance is free-flowing and soft, with the corps de ballets appearing ready to flutter away at any moment.

The pas de deux from Shéhérazade is danced by Zobeide (Andrea Riolo) and the Golden Slave (Ixan Llorca Ferrer). One of the Ballets Russes’ most famous (and perhaps infamous) ballets, Shéhérazade shows the Shah’s favourite slave, Zobeide, beg the Chief Eunuch to allow the male slaves into the harem while the Shah is away.

In Le Spectre de la Rose, a young girl (Ariana Allen) returns from a ball, clutching a rose from an admirer. As she falls asleep, the spirit of the rose leaps through the window and entices the girl to dance with him.

Les Biches takes place in the 1920s, with the women in evening gowns and the men appearing to come in from the beach, dressed in vests and shorts. The Hostess (Sophie Walters) dances a Rag Mazurka with strings of pearls and a long cigarette holder. The pas de deux showcases the humour and flirtatious spirit of the whole ballet.

In the pas de deux from The Firebird, the magical bird (Alexandra Manuel) is captured by Ivan Tsarevich (Marlo Kempsey-Fagg), leading to a tempestuous, dramatic dance.

BRB2 is now on tour with Carlos Acosta’s Ballet Celebration, visiting London, Poole, and Northampton during May 2025. Find out more at https://www.brb.org.uk/shows/brb2-carlos-acostas-ballet-celebration.