Dance

When I meet John Neumeier in Vienna in the late afternoon, he explains immediately that he is feeling a little discombobulated (my word not his). He is currently choreographing and filming for the New Year’s Day Concert and his working hours are 8pm until 4.30am. His sleep patterns are feeling a tad muddled. In spite of this, he looks supremely elegant and relaxed.

At this year’s Edinburgh International Festival, acclaimed choreographer Kim Brandstrup unveiled his latest work: Breaking Bach, danced to music by JS Bach. Nothing unusual about that, but if I said that it was a collaboration between six professional dancers, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE), and seven hip-hop dancers from a secondary school in north London, you might be surprised.

“My name actually means Monsieur Arab from the East”, the Belgian-Moroccan choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui explains, as he tells me about his multi-faceted identity. He has just finished a rehearsal session for his forthcoming dance work, Imperial Ball.