INTERNATIONALLY acclaimed Yorkshire-based Phoenix Dance Theatre brings their remarkable talents to York's Theatre Royal later this month.

Sharon Watson, artistic director of Phoenix Dance Theatre and currently Yorkshirewoman of the Year, says: “I have worked with people from all over the world for this mixed piece and the result is three, diverse, emotional and sassy dances in one thought-provoking performance.”

Calyx is a new piece created by award-winning company dancer and choreographer Sandrine Monin and composer Roberto Rusconi. Inspired by and based on the book of poems The Flowers of Evil by Charles Baudelaire, Calyx explores the themes of beauty, desire and decadence.

“The Calyx is the outermost part of a flower – the bud,” explains Sandrine. “It envelopes the flower, protecting it, and when it blooms it provides support for the rest of its life. I find it a fascinating and beautiful thing and have used the dancers to translate this.”

With a live microphone at its heart, Aletta Collins’ Maybe Yes Maybe, Maybe No Maybe sees five dancers blend movement and voices to create a uniquely witty piece of dance.

The work is set to a score by composers Street Furniture Music, a Soho-based production company who specialise in music and sound design for film, TV, games and theatre. The dancers’ voices are transformed into the beats and accents of a pulsing soundtrack.

Beast is an unsettling and unforgettable piece of Leeds-based choreographer Douglas Thorpe. It explores the dark reaches of the mind, focussing on the concept of choice and consequences that follow wrong decisions.

  • Phoenix Dance Theatre's Mixed Programme, York Theatre Royal, Wednesday & Thursday, October 25 & 26. 7.30pm. Tickets £24 - £15, concessions available. Box office 01904 623568. Online yorktheatreroyal.co.uk