Birmingham Royal Ballet at The Lowry 8th - 12th July

Birmingham Royal Ballet present two shows, Stravinsky: The Real Deal and Gisele, at The Lowry.

After an absence of almost five years, the full-length ballet Giselle returns to Birmingham Royal Ballet’s repertoire and The Lowry stage. Stravinsky’s music is celebrated in the triple bill Stravinsky: The Real Deal, featuring Petrushka, Card Game and the recently-premièred Le Baiser de la fée, by choreographer Michael Corder.

David Bintley and Galina Samsova’s production of Giselle tells a tragic tale of love and betrayal. Lovestruck Giselle has no idea her beloved peasant suitor Loys is really Count Albrecht in disguise. When his true identity is revealed by Giselle's other suitor, the jealous Hilarion, the betrayal drives Giselle to madness and suicide. She is led to the eerie world of the forest, with its gliding ghosts and tortured spirits where Giselle and other would-be brides are destined to remain.

Petrushka has remained an anarchic force on stages around the world since the Ballets Russe’s 1911 premiere. In Fokine's ballet, all the wild fun of the Butter Week Fair in St Petersburg floods the stage, and unruly Petrushka is soon creating havoc. Then, one wooden step too far, this harlequin meets a very mortal end – but there's spirit in the old doll yet.

Le Baiser de la fée choreographed by Michael Corder and designed by John Macfarlane, breathes life into Hans Christian Andersen's chilling fairy tale The Ice Maiden. Enthralled by a child lost in the mountains, The Ice Maiden gives him a kiss – one that he will never escape. 

In Card Game, Stravinsky, himself a keen poker player, plays with allegiances, rivalries and power. John Cranko's witty choreography entered The Royal Ballet repertory in 1966. In this modern classic, the sly Joker banishes the proud Queen; the Two, Three, Four, Five and Six strike a straight flush and little Two of Diamonds tries to spoil everyone's fun.