A dance company is celebrating its tenth anniversary with performances revisiting its work.
Freefall is a partnership between Birmingham Royal Ballet and Fox Hollies Performing Arts College.
It was founded to provide opportunities for dancers of school-leaving age with severe learning disabilities.
Last year the company was an integral part of Mencap’s Cultural Olympiad project WE DANCE, creating a new commission and a short film which was shown at the Normal Festival in Prague.
The company’s next performance, Freefall’s 10 and ¾—Looking Back and Moving Forward, will be staged on Thursday 31 January at the Patrick Centre at Birmingham Hippodrome.
The evening offers another chance to see Seaside Rendezvous, an abstract piece created in 2011 and inspired by former Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury.
The company will also premiere its latest work Chairs, also abstract and incorporating a variety of different dance styles.
Lee Fisher, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s head of creative learning and artistic director of Freefall, said, “Everyone involved in Freefall is really proud of what's been achieved over the past ten years and equally excited about plans for the next decade.
“The tenth anniversary performance promises to be a great night, reflecting the past as well as future ambitions.”
Gus Garside, national arts development manager for Mencap, added, “Freefall always astound me in the articulacy of their movement—especially remarkable for a group of individuals who are, in relative terms, verbally less articulate than most.
“Freefall were central to Mencap's hugely successful Cultural Olympiad project WE DANCE as trainers and mentors but most importantly as dancers.
“They worked with us on a Dance for Camera film that was viewed by 1.5 million people and is scheduled to be shown at dance festivals around the world.”