By: Natalie Thomas
June 2025
From its southerly position in the UK, in the heart of Britain’s Ocean City, Theatre Royal Plymouth (TRP) is having a profound impact in the world of dance on a global scale.
TRP is a member theatre of Dance Consortium which has, for the past 25 years, been showcasing the world’s foremost contemporary dance to audiences across the UK and Ireland.
Dance Consortium’s current tour features one of the world’s best contemporary ballet companies, Ballet BC, which heads to TRP from 03 – 04 June, alongside six other British towns and cities.
Vancouver-based Ballet BC presents an eye-catching double bill by four-time Olivier award-winning Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite and the legendary Swedish choreographer and longtime Ballet BC collaborator Johan Inger.
Founded in 2000 and funded by Arts Council England, Dance Consortium currently has 23 member theatres. Representatives from each theatre, including TRP’s Chief Executive and Artistic Director, James Mackenzie-Blackman and TRP’s Associate Artistic Director, Tom Jackson Greaves, along with appointed Board of Directors and Trustees, meet regularly throughout the year to plan activity to ultimately promote the unique experience of watching live dance.
Together, the Consortium representatives jointly choose a specifically diverse programme of international companies to tour the country, using their collective knowledge and expertise to ensure the programme reaches extensive and broad audiences, both existing and new. This progressive and distinctive model supports careers for those in the industry, while engaging audiences to embrace and appreciate dance in all its forms and scales.
Since conception, the Consortium has worked with 30 different dance companies across 54 tours, performing in front of more than 800,000 people.
James Mackenzie-Blackman, said: “We are proud to be part of Dance Consortium and it’s a real privilege to be the catalyst in showcasing unique world-class dance across the UK. We have a loyal dance audience in the South West, so it’s great to be able to create a programme that encompasses a spectrum of dance styles to not only satisfy those devoted patrons, but that also appeals to a wider audience.”
Joe Bates, Chief Executive of Dance Consortium, says: “Dance Consortium provides a distinctive offer to our member venues across the country where, for many, audiences would not otherwise get the opportunity to experience international dance companies of this range and quality. We strive to present a diverse programme from artists and companies that aren’t usually seen on our stages in the UK and Ireland, and we use the expertise of the team, the wider consortium and our partners to ensure the international work is of the highest quality.
“I believe that everyone loves dance, they just might not know it yet, and we are here to help introduce them to exceptional talent from around the globe.”
As well as underpinning the fees and international costs associated with bringing companies to the UK and Ireland, Dance Consortium leads the national marketing and press campaigns alongside a rich programme of engagement work to help reach and inspire the widest possible audience. This includes outreach projects with young people and local community groups offering ‘wrap around’ activity such as participatory workshops, Q&As and masterclasses.
To find out more about Dance Consortium and the member theatres including Theatre Royal Plymouth, visit www.danceconsortium.com.