One of Britain’s leading contemporary dance companies is showcasing three thrilling pieces next week

AN internationally-acclaimed contemporary dance company is coming to the Gala Theatre in Durham.

Over the last 36 years, Phoenix Dance Theatre has grown to be one of Britain's leading contemporary dance companies.

With inspirations from vast and wide ranging areas such as popular culture, current affairs, classical art and entirely abstract concepts, the company is known for their fresh and vibrant work and have performed across the globe inspiring and entertaining audiences through the medium of dance.

On Tuesday, March 7, Phoenix will be showcasing three thrilling pieces that demonstrate the company’s athletic power, emotional intensity and dynamic movement.

The first piece, Calyx, is a new commission from choreographer and company dancer Sandrine Monin and composer Roberto Rusconi. Calyx, which is the outermost wall of parts that form a flower, is inspired by and based on Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs Du Mal. The work explores the themes of beauty, desire and decadence.

The second piece, Beast, by choreographer and ex-company dancer Douglas Thorpe, immerses the audience in the darkest reaches of the mind, using six dancers in a performance that is as powerful and brutal as it is beautiful. Exploring the darker side of the human psyche, Beast’s broken choreography requires extreme strength and articulation, giving the piece an often disjointed and fragmented look. Intimidating and uncompromising, this challenging piece is an unforgettable and captivating piece of theatre.

To complete the programme, the company will present Maybe Yes Maybe, Maybe No Maybe by Aletta Collins. With a live microphone at its heart, the piece sees five dancers blend movement and voices to create a uniquely witty piece of dance. Teasing and playful but full of attitude, the work is set to a score by composers Street Furniture that transforms the dancers’ voices into the beats and accents of a pulsing soundtrack.

  • Tickets cost £15 (£13 concession) and are available online at www.galadurham.co.uk, via the box office on 03000 266 600 or in person at the venue.