Richard Alston Dance Company Coming to Theatre Royal Glasgow

Richard Alston Dance Company is recognised as one of the most inspiring and influential UK-based choreographer-led companies, with a rich repertoire of deeply musical contemporary dance. This autumn Richard Alston is reviving his classic Overdrive, an exhilarating blast of nonstop dance to the pulsating rhythms of Californian minimalist Terry Riley. The ten dancers of Richard Alston Dance Company ride seamlessly across the surging waves of Riley's relentless patterning, in an intricate and mesmeric crescendo of movement and sound. Overdrive is one of 12 prescribed professional works for GCSE Dance on the AQA syllabus. Richard Alston Dance Company has produced a teacher's resource pack to accompany this which can be downloaded from: http://www.richardalstondance.com/resources

The tour includes the World Premiere of Martin Lawrance's latest choreography, a brand new commission from the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh. This new dance is inspired by the passionately intense music of Franz Liszt, which will be played live by pianist Jason Ridgway. Lawrance is rapidly becoming known for his musically alert and inventive choreography, including two commissions Run For It and Dark Full Ride for Scottish Ballet, and also last season's immensely successful Madcap for Richard Alston Dance Company. Alongside Overdrive, the programme is completed by Alston's most recent work Rejoice in the Lamb.

A highpoint of the season will be the Company's return to Peak Performances, Montclair State University, New Jersey. The company is honoured to have been specifically selected to celebrate Peak Performances' tenth anniversary. An all-live music evening includes Rejoice in the Lamb, to the music of Benjamin Britten, sung live by Vocal Accord. This piece was co-commissioned by Peak Performances and The Marlowe Theatre and it is only the third time it has been performed with a live choir. Also performed live will be Hölderlin Fragments, an intimate cycle of Britten songs for voice and piano set to the enigmatic lyrics of Friedrich Hölderlin, and Illuminations, Alston's outstanding 1993 choreography of Britten's masterpiece, which explores the obsessive relationship of Arthur Rimbaud and the older poet Paul Verlaine. Both of these works will be sung by the rapidly up-and coming young American tenor Nicholas Phan, alongside the string ensemble ACME.

The programme also features the duet from Unfinished Business, danced to the beautiful and lucid music of Mozart - the adagio of his piano sonata, K533 played live by Jason Ridgway. This piece was chosen by the New York Times as its number one dance favourite in 2013.

All of these pieces will also feature on the Company's UK tour.