Let's Dance @ Macrobert

It seems the spring and summer brings out the dancer in us all, as the Macrobert launches its 2014 Let's Dance programme.

Northern Ballet kicks off the entire season on 31 March. In an attempt to make ballet accessible to young children, the classical dance company create their own fairytale versions of The Three Little Pigs in this Scottish premiere, having recently toured Cinderella and The Ugly Duckling across the UK.  

The programme is heavily infused with the work of Erik Kaiel, who has been making work for the past twenty years. Winner of the No ballet competition of 2010 – a choreography competition for contemporary dance –  Kaiel brings three works to Stirling for the Macrobert's dance season: a double bill called No Man is an Island / My True North and Murikamification. The double bill seems like an attempt at defying gravity through dance, while Murikamification tries, much like parkour, to adapt and mould dance and dancers' bodies to the urban environment of Stirling. 

Meanwhile, Compagnie Nathalie Cornille present A Chairy Tale, a cine-dance performance featuring six short films showcasing the work of Stirling-born film-maker Norman McLaren. The title of the event is taken from 1957 film A Chairy Tale, on which McLaren collaborated with Claude Jutra, with animation by Evelyn Lambart. As 2014 is the centenary of McLaren's birth, the Macrobert celebrates as part of its dance festival and the McLaren 2014 project to celebrate his work.

Finally, Michael Clark company will wrap up the season with their new show animal / vegetable / mineral. While the company was set up in 1984, the show – with a soundtrack ranging from Relaxed Muscle, Scritti Politti and The Sex Pistols – demonstates their work is still as contemporary as ever. 

Let's Dance 2014 also includes various workshops, dance-related films and free pop-up performances, including acrobatic duet Sprawl, performed by All Or Nothing Aerial Dance and Room 2 Manoeuvre. [Eric Karoulla]