University takes centre stage in China

The University of Birmingham is to support Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) as they embark on a major tour of China this month, in order to raise the profile of the City to new audiences.

The University is one of the supporting sponsors of the BRB tour, which will take place across three major cities in China. Performances and events will be staged in Guangzhou (a sister city of Birmingham), Beijing and Shanghai.

The tour is the latest development in a longstanding partnership between the University and BRB, who have delivered a Master’s Degree in Dance for more than a decade. A number of graduates from the course – including Chinese principal dancer Lei Zhao - will perform in BRB’s touring productions of Beauty and the Beast and Romeo and Juliet. The Royal Ballet Sinfonia, the Orchestra of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, will also delight audiences with concerts in Beijing and Shanghai.

The team will be joined by representatives from the University. Not only will the tour promote the wealth of arts, businesses, education and research in Birmingham to an audience in China, but it will build on the relationships that already exist in Asia.

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, Professor Michael Sterling, explained:

"The University of Birmingham welcomed the opportunity to join forces with another cultural beacon of the city which enjoys a high international profile by sponsoring the BRB tour to China. The University’s international strategy recognises the importance of building our presence in China to support the development of key partnerships for education and research. 

We also have many loyal University alumni resident in the three cities of the BRB tour, who act as our ambassadors having returned to China following their study in Birmingham.”

The Applied Studies in Dance postgraduate programme in the University’s School of Education attracts dancers from across the globe. It aims to utilise and extend the knowledge, skills and understanding of professional dancers beyond the context of professional theatre, with a particular emphasis on dance in education and the community.

Professor Sterling said: “We are particularly proud of our long-standing association with BRB; many of the dancers on the tour are in fact graduates of our postgraduate course in Applied Studies in Dance. This tailor-made master’s programme in dance in education enables dancers to study for a postgraduate qualification alongside their role as a member of the ballet company. The links and opportunities of working together are great and the China tour seemed the perfect vehicle to promote this activity.”