Success of International Dance Festival Birmingham 2014

International Dance Festival Birmingham 2014 (IDFB) drew to a spectacular close on 25 May with an outdoor performance of hip hop show B-Town. After a packed month of dance performances staged throughout the city, the biennial festival's co-producers, DanceXchange and Birmingham Hippodrome, are thrilled to report on its many successes.

This year saw audience figures rise with a programme featuring more events than any previous festival. Truly city wide in scope, nineteen venues, including new to the festival Millennium Point, Ruddock Performing Arts Centre and Symphony Hall, helped see attendances at the 43 ticketed performances rocket by 30% from the 2012 festival to over 21,000 people.

There were plenty of opportunities for members of the public to get dancing too, with a full programme of social dance events and workshops linked to the theatre programme, plus educational opportunities for hundreds of students and professional dancers. Over 400 boys who auditioned to be cast in Lord of the Flies, presented by Matthew Bourne's New Adventures & Re:Bourne, will benefit from a planned legacy programme which will deliver more dance experiences later this year.

IDFB maintained its reputation for inclusivity and diversity, with performances enjoyed by a broad audience which included visitors to Birmingham Pride and the International Capoeira Festival and Brazilian Carnival Parade. The programme included 21 free dance performances on the streets and around the public spaces of Birmingham, watched by over 12,500 people and included the world premiere of Headphones and A Haka Day Out both by Corey Baker Dance, IDFB 2014's international artist in residence.

IDFB 2014 showcased a huge range of dance styles from ballet to circus, hip-hop to haka, swing to street and capoeira to flamenco, featuring artists from 18 countries.

Artistically the festival was a huge success garnering much praise from regional and national critics. The programme included nine world premieres and featured the work of some of the biggest names in dance such as Crystal Pite, Mats Ek, William Forsythe and Jirí Kylián, alongside hotly tipped rising choreographic stars such as Alexander Whitley, Kit Holder and Aakash Odedra. The festival also provided the first Midlands exposure to several dance performances previously only seen in London.

During IDFB 2014, several unique international collaborations with regional artists included the premiere of Concert Dansé, an innovative partnership with Québécois contemporary dance company Cas Public and Birmingham's internationally acclaimed Early Music ensemble Ex Cathedra, and featured Aakash Odedra and dancers from Birmingham Royal Ballet. Choreographer and dancer Mickael 'Marso' Riviere joined forces with Salah El Brogy from Egypt and Guy Nader from Lebanon and premiered two new works for Company Decalage; Match and Halfway to the Other Side.

More than any previous festival, IDFB 2014 was embraced by the city with a huge visual presence prior to and throughout the festival in the form of red IDFB flags, banners and posters, all supported by Birmingham City Council. Councillor Ian Ward, Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council, said, "We are pleased that initial findings from the Festival demonstrate a good return on the significant investment that the city council has made in IDFB 2014. Our thanks go to all those staff and volunteers involved in putting on such a diverse and entertaining range of high quality dance activity during April and May. We look forward to seeing the full evaluation and working with all stakeholders on how to build on the momentum gained"

Links with media partner BBC Radio WM were strengthened in a new collaboration with BBC Midlands Today to create the film #BrumMoves which celebrated Birmingham's music and dance scene. Aired on BBC Midlands Today over two nights during the festival, the six minute film has received over 18,000 views on YouTube. Gareth Roberts, editor of BBC WM 95.6 explained, "Birmingham and the Black Country has an incredible musical heritage ranging from The Move to The Streets and ELO to Laura Mvula. This project with IDFB 2014 was a great celebration of that music and also gave us a chance to show everything that's brilliant about where we live."

David Massingham, Artistic Director of DanceXchange & Co-Artistic Director of IDFB 2014 said: "IDFB is the West Midlands' biggest festival and one of the largest dance festivals in the world. Once again 2014 featured world-class performances alongside innovative participatory projects for people of all ages and confirmed that Birmingham is the perfect place to create, research and present dance. None of this would be possible without all of our supporters and volunteers and of course our dedicated audiences. I look forward to IDFB 2016 when we hope to present many more dance performances through exciting collaborations and partnerships."

Stuart Griffiths, Chief Executive of Birmingham Hippodrome and Co-Artistic Director of IDFB 2014 said: "We presented more new work on our stages than ever before and it was terrific that people responded so positively."

Peter Knott, Area Director, Arts Council England, said: "The International Dance Festival Birmingham brings some of world's best dance talent to the city and it's great to see audiences continue to grow. One of the Arts Council's aims is to invest in projects which give as many people as possible the opportunity to experience great art and culture. This year the festival hosted some really unique performances by world-class dancers and choreographers, such as Sylvie Guillem and Mats Ek, and took exciting new work by regional and international artists out on to the city's streets. A great addition to the programme was the number of opportunities for people to get involved and try out dance for themselves. I hope everyone who took part had a fantastic time."

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