Birmingham will host its first International Dance Festival from April to May next year, which the organisers promise will bring outstanding dance from across the globe, including Taiwan’s Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, who will open the Festival, and a National Ballet of China production, choreographed by Akram Khan.

A joint venture between DanceXchange and Birmingham Hippodrome, the month-long Festival will take place across the city between 28 April and 24 May 2008.

International Dance Festival Birmingham will capture the imagination with a world-class programme that encompasses all styles of dance and expresses the youthful, diverse and energetic spirit of Birmingham.

It will bring outstanding dance from across the globe, showcasing the work of world-renowned dance companies including Kirov Ballet and Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, alongside specially choreographed commissions and large-scale participatory and site-specific performances. Akram Khan MBE presents his new collaboration with National Ballet of China, bahok, as one of the Festival highlights.

Featuring some of the world’s greatest choreographers, International Dance Festival Birmingham promises to engage established audiences and newcomers alike through the sheer diversity of its programme.

Major new Festival for Birmingham gets City dancing!