The Osipova team left London for Auckland last week to perform the triple bill at the ninth annual Auckland Arts Festival. The show consists of works choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Russell Maliphant, and Arthur Pita and Natalia dances in all three. She is joined on stage by James O’Hara and Jason Kittelberger for Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s trio and by Sergei Polunin for the duets by Russell Maliphant and Arthur Pita.

After one of the performances Natalia, Sergei, Jason, and James were joined on stage by Auckland Arts Festival’s Artistic Director Carla van Zon for a post-show talk.

The show received some fantastic views from New Zealand’s press. Check one of them out here.

Pictured above are Natalia, Sergei, Carla van Zon, and New Zealand’s Governor General Patricia Reddy – the Queen’s representative in New Zealand.

Students, dance enthusiasts and first timers were treated to some world-class lessons in Birmingham over the course of the week. Tango aficionado’s Julia Urruty and Claudio Gonzalez’s class was on fire. Total novices and more experienced dancers were taught the art of the tango by world-class professionals, and by the end of the class a mini milonga in itself erupted.

The next day more experienced contemporary dancers including BTEC level 4 students from nearby schools were given a serious schooling in contemporary dance by Havana based Julio Torres and Yanelis Manzanet from Acosta Danza. This comprehensive class began with floor exercises and ended with a full rep.

Finally, just before the Friday night performance, Barcelona local Facundo from Iron Skulls Co raised the roof with his break dancing lesson. Packed full with local hip-hop dancers of different ages and genders, Facundo had a buzzing room full of poppers and lockers by the end.

Pictured above the Acosta Danza class in full swing.

Birmingham New Street train station was transformed into a dance floor where the only arrivals were contemporary dance and tango. Showcasing two of the ranging talents that would later be on the Hippodrome stage Julia Urruty and Claudio Gonzalez an award winning tango duet alongside Acosta Danza dancers Julio Torres and Yanelis Godoy cho-cho-chose to smash it at the station.

Next stop: stellar performances

Pictured above the four dancers and below a video of the Acosta Danza performance.