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Dance in London: 2012 preview

The ten dance shows we're most looking forward to in 2012

Read all our 2012 preview features

  • 2011 is so last year! Browse the below lists to look forward to the cultural, culinary, musical and cinematic treats that London's going to serve up over the next 12 months

Most viewed 2012 dance shows

  1. Havana Rumba
  2. Monica Mason: A Life with the Royal Ballet
  3. Wah! Wah! Girls
  4. Big Dance 2012
  5. A Flash of Light: The Dance Photography of Chris Nash
  6. Flawless & English National Ballet
  7. The Jump Off
  8. Danza Contemporanea de Cuba
  9. Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch: Viktor
  10. Revolution
More most viewed dance shows
  • Bamboo Blues Bamboo Blues - © Angelos Giotopoulos

    Pina Bausch season

    Recommended
    Jun 6-Jul 9 2012, Sadler's Wells & Barbican Centre

    Ten works by the late, legendary Pina Bausch, many of them making their UK debut. Part of the cultural festival surrounding the Olympics, it’ll be a marathon month for fans of tanztheater (or dance theatre, if you prefer it in English) and will probably inspire the same wide range of emotions as an endurance run: exhaustion, exhilaration, frustration, mental challenge, physical discomfort, personal revelation and light-headed joy.

  • Flamenco Festival

    Recommended
    Feb 8-18, Sadler's Wells

    The Sadler's Wells Flamenco Festival sees the theatre's auditorium alive with the sound of 'Olé!', and that's just from the audience. On stage, the clattering heels and mournful song of some of Spain's top performers is an annual treat, with a programme ranging from the purest gypsy flamenco to experimental modern dance. The gala show (Feb 11-12) is always a good opportunity to see a variety of artists in one sitting; elsewhere there are full-length shows from Manuela Carrasco, Rafael Amargo and José Mercé.

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    Akram Khan Company: Desh

    Recommended
    Oct 2-9, Sadler's Wells

    A welcome return for Akram Khan's full-length solo 'Desh', following its much-lauded premiere last year. Inspired by Khan's parents' homeland of Bangladesh, 'Desh' is another exploration of Khan's favourite subject,...

  • Blanca Li Company: Elektro Kif

    Recommended
    Until Sat Mar 3, Queen Elizabeth Hall

    Nightclub, street and stage come together as choreographer Blanca Li mixes Parisian electro dance with contemporary dance and theatre in 'Elektro Kif'. Spanish-born, France-based Li has worked in a plethora of styles and...

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    DV8: Can We Talk About This?

    Recommended
    Until Wed Mar 28, National Theatre, Lyttelton

    Lloyd Newson's productions for DV8 are becoming increasingly less dancey show by show, but still we like to claim him as one of our own. 'Can We Talk About This?', a piece examining Islamic fundamentalism, has earned...

  • Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company: Classic Cut

    Recommended
    Tue Mar 13, Linbury Studio Theatre

    Choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh celebrates her company's twenty-fifth anniversary with a reworking of her 1988 work 'Configurations' set to a Michael Nyman score, played live. 'Configurations' demonstrates Jeyasingh's...

  • Protein: LOL (lots of love)

    Recommended
    Until Sat Mar 17, The Place

    The latest work from witty dance theatre director Luca Silvestrini moves into the age of social networking to look at the way the internet has affected life and love in the twenty-first century. This may be Silvestrini's...

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    Royal Ballet: Scarlett/Wheeldon/McGregor

    Recommended
    Until Mon Apr 23, Royal Opera House

    Probably the three most talented British choreographers working in the ballet realm, Liam Scarlett, Christopher Wheeldon and Wayne McGregor have all been nurtured by Royal Ballet director Monica Mason. In her final season...

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    Matthew Bourne's Play Without Words

    Recommended
    Jul 12-Aug 5, Sadler's Wells

    Definitely one of Bourne's best works, 'Play Without Words' is a sexy, '60s-set, upstairs/downstairs dance drama, based on Robin Maugham's story 'The Servant' (and the Joseph Losey film of the book). You'll see super...

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    Metamorphosis: Titian 2012

    Recommended
    Jul 14-20, Royal Opera House

    Part of the London 2012 Festival (formerly known as the Cultural Olympiad), a hugely ambitious and exciting collaboration between the Royal Ballet and the National Gallery, based around three Titian paintings. The project...

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