Richard Alston Dance Company at The Lowry 10 March

The Richard Alston Dance Company is set to return to The Lowry this March with an exciting programme of dance featuring Blow Over, Movements from Petrushka and a brand new work from guest choreographer Martin Lawrance.

Richard Alston is internationally recognised as one of the country’s foremost dance makers. After training at the London School of Contemporary Dance, he led the UK’s first independent contemporary dance company, Strider, before taking up a post as resident choreographer and artistic director of Ballet Rambert. Now acting as artistic director of The Place, Alston continues to drive innovation in British choreography, creating dances that draw from music as diverse as Stravinsky and Hoagy Carmichael.

This triple-bill showcases the wide range of work produced by the company. Blow Over first premiered in 2008 to five-star reviews and standing ovations. The piece represented something of a departure for Alston, set to Philip Glass’s arresting score Songs from Liquid Days and incorporating lyrics from Suzanne Vega and Paul Simon.

This newer work is contrasted with Movements from Petrushka, which has become one of the most iconic dances made by Alston since its first performance in 1994. The electrifying Stravinsky score will be performed live by virtuoso pianist Jason Ridgway alongside the dancers.

Finally, guest choreographer Martin Lawrance unveils a new work set to Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, Nos 2 &3. This work builds on a longstanding relationship between Alston and Lawrance, who is the only guest choreographer to work with the company, and follows on from dances such as Brink and Body and Soul.