British Dance Edition

The British Dance Edition is the place where British choreographers and companies get to show what they can offer, between panels and lectures on various aspects of the modern performance scene. With veteran agitator Lizz Aggiss discussing survival tactics, and megastar Akram Khan offering a breakfast meeting, this year's line-up is a dream for the people who spent most of their Fringe hanging out at Dance Base.

Then again, many of the performers at BDE have already shown their work in Edinburgh, thanks to Dance Base's Give Dance A Chance programme: Company Decalage and Company Chameleon reprise their August offerings, while those who can't wait until The National Review of Live Art in Glasgow can catch up with one of Scotland's greatest exports, the astounding Iona Kewney.

Kewney is only one of the Scottish artists performing at BDE: Dudendance, often spotted at The Arches, are taking Spaceman and Anna Krzystek is presenting Figure This, first seen at Tramway. While Kewney is undoubtedly an international artist – her collaboration with Belgian contemporary dance is legendary – she expresses a strand of modern Scottish dance that crosses boundaries, challenges preconceptions and rocks harder than most bands can manage.

David Massingham, Artistic Director of BDE 2010 notes “We have an amazing line-up of performances and events in an edition that has many artists and companies never featured before." He also emphasises that the event is about more than just a series of shows. "It’s all about networking, debating and enjoying a new style BDE that will challenge perceptions of what British dance is all about!”

Apart fom the Scots, other shows such as Arthur Pita’s new production God’s Garden and Vincent Dance Theatre’s If We Go On help to illustrate how broad modern dance can be. With venues scattered across Birmingham, and many open to the public, the BDE aims to reveal the infinite possibilities.