McGregor’s work (WOOLF WORKS) recently won the award for Best New Dance Production at the Olivier Awards 2016 ceremony held at the Royal Opera House. This is the second time McGregor has received an Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production, following a win in 2007 for Chroma.

Blackpool dance lovers are in for a special treat this May when Blackpool Grand showcases his new work ATOMOS – a critically acclaimed piece by Wayne McGregor, ‘one of the most celebrated and sought after choreographers of his generation’ (New York Times).

ATOMOS combines the elements of light and sound with 3D film and bodily movement to provide a multi-sensory and technological show. This is a cutting-edge work by one of the most innovative leaders in the field of modern dance, who is famous for questioning the boundaries between art and science, body and mind.

ATOMOS has been touring the world since 2013 and comes to Blackpool Grand after receiving rave reviews in the USA, Mexico, France and Switzerland.

Wayne McGregor has a 20-year career at the forefront of contemporary dance to his name, as well as a CBE for his services to dance. This multi-award winning choreographer has even worked with some of the most renowned artists and on some of the biggest projects in popular culture, including Paloma Faith’s 2015 Brit Awards performance and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Ten top-class dancers will perform McGregor’s unique piece live on The Grand’s stage. Intensely physical, jarring and at times haunting – the visual presence of the dancers is matched by a dramatic musical score written by the acclaimed classical ensemble A Winged Victory For The Sullen.

Andrew Howard, Grand Theatre Marketing Manager said, “What a great feeling to be able to bring the Wayne McGregor Company to Blackpool Grand. This is a choreographer who has worked with some of our finest artists, including Paloma Faith and Radiohead, and who constantly pushes the boundaries and produces work appreciated by audiences the world over. Wayne McGregor is the next big name on a long list of renowned dance companies we have had the privilege to showcase at The Grand thanks to our status as a National Portfolio Organisation. Dance lovers and those who enjoy something a little different can expect to be awe-struck by Atomos.”

ATOMOS comes to Blackpool Grand Theatre on Wednesday 11 May.

Tickets are available from blackpoolgrand.co.uk or by calling 01253 290190.

‘One of the most celebrated and sought after  choreographers of his generation.’ New York Times

‘Atomos is confident and compelling.’ The Telegraph

‘Simply extraordinary.’ The Guardian

ATOMOS

Grand Theatre, Blackpool

Wednesday 11 May at 7:30pm

TICKETS

£13.50 to £19.50

Schools £9.50

Full Time Students £3 off

Group discounts available

Under 26s: £12.50 (first 50 tickets per performance; subject to availability)

Notes to editors

Wayne McGregor

Wayne McGregor is a multi-award-winning British choreographer and director, internationally renowned for innovations in performance that have radically redefined dance in the modern era. Driven by an insatiable curiosity about movement, his experiments have led him to collaborate with an array of artistic forms, scientific disciplines, and technological interventions. His startling and multi-dimensional works have ensured McGregor’s position at the cutting edge of contemporary arts for over two decades.

In 1992, he founded Random Dance, which has grown into Studio Wayne McGregor to encompass his extensive creative output in fields both beyond and in dialogue with dance. Since 2006, McGregor has been Resident Choreographer at The Royal Ballet. McGregor is regularly commissioned to make new work by the most important ballet companies in the world, including Paris Opera Ballet, New York City Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet and San Francisco Ballet. He is in demand as a choreographer for theatre, opera, film (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Tarzan), music videos (Radiohead, The Chemical Brothers), fashion shows (Gareth Pugh at New York Fashion Week 2014), and TV (Paloma Faith’s Brit Awards performance 2015). Visit waynemcgregor.com

Arts Council England

Arts Council England champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2015 and 2018, we plan to invest £1.1 billion of public money from government and an estimated £700 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk

Blackpool Grand Theatre – Arts Council England, National Portfolio Funding

In July 2014 the Arts Council England granted the Grand Theatre continued funding for the next three years to support and develop a programme of dance and physical theatre. Despite substantial cuts to many theatres, The Grand was one of only a handful of organisations that saw its National Portfolio Organisation Funding increase by 37%.

The Arts Council’s National Portfolio Organisations represent some of the best arts practice in the world, and they play a vital role in helping ACE meet their mission of great art and culture for everyone. ACE are determined to fund organisations at a level at which they can continue to produce the excellent and innovative art that audiences want and deserve.

Blackpool’s Grand Theatre – Heritage and History

The Grand Theatre was opened on July 23, 1894 by Thomas Sergenson who immediately dubbed the theatre ‘Matcham’s Masterpiece’. This title is even more merited now that there are few surviving examples of the work of Frank Matcham, the leading Victorian theatre architect. The theatre took just nine months to build and cost Sergenson £20,000.

By the early 1960s theatres across Britain were closing due to loss of audience to television and in July 1972 the then owners, the Tower Company, applied for permission to demolish it. In its place they proposed to build a department store. However, by then, following an application to the Department of the Environment, the theatre had been listed as a Grade II* building and there had to be a full public enquiry.

Early in 1973 the Friends of the Grand was formed and after legal and financial wrangling, they, together with EMI and the local council, put together a deal involving leasing the theatre for £10,000 per annum and final purchase for £250,000.