The West Midlands is one of the UK’s biggest and best dance hubs, with venues hosting everything from classical ballets to snake-hipped Strictly stars strutting their samba stuff. Here’s a selection of productions hot-shoe shuffling their way into the region over the next few weeks...

RIVERDANCE 30

When a show’s been seen by millions of people across thousands of performances across the globe, it’s fair to say it’s one big mother of a hit! 

Such are the statistics behind the mesmerising Riverdance, Michael Flatley’s breathtaking dance extravaganza that’s been wowing audiences for a staggering three decades. 

Riverdance started out as a seven-minute interval piece at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994. Within a couple of years, it had become the brand-new craze, not only bringing traditional [Irish] dance to a contemporary audience but also inspiring spin-off shows such as Spirit Of The Dance and Lord Of The Dance. 

If you’ve never before sampled its delights, this 30th anniversary tour is the perfect time to find out what all the fuss has been about.

The Alexandra, Birmingham, Thursday 4 - Tuesday 9 September; Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Tuesday 28 - Friday 31 October

BRB: BLACK SABBATH THE BALLET

Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) once again turn up the volume with this full-length, three-act show featuring eight Black Sabbath tracks re-orchestrated for the Royal Ballet Sinfonia. 

The production returns to the Hippodrome stage following a summer in which the heavy-metal stars from Aston have been very much in the news. The original quartet’s homecoming concert at Villa Park - their first performance together since 2005, bringing down the curtain on a breathtaking 57-year journey - was then followed some 17 days later by the unexpected death of Ozzy Osbourne.

“The ballet is a great ambassador for the city,” says Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi. “The exciting part is that there will be people in the audience who are Black Sabbath fans who have never been to a ballet before, and people in the audience who are ballet fans who don’t know much about Black Sabbath. 

Birmingham Hippodrome, Thursday 18 - Saturday 27 September

2FACED DANCE: FISH BOY

As part of the journey towards their stated aim of becoming ‘a worldwide leader in the production of breathtaking, physical and inspirational dance’, Herefordshire-based 2Faced Dance Company here present the story of Tommy Minton, a young fella who’s determined to discover where his best friend ‘fish’ has gone. 

Bringing together dance and circus - and based on real stories - the show has been co-created with 115 primary school children from across Herefordshire.

Malvern Theatres, Wednesday 24 September; Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Thursday 23 October

ACE DANCE & MUSIC: THE WORLD AS WE SEE IT

What are you willing to die for?... That’s the thought-provoking question being posed by ACE Dance & Music in their latest double bill, a production which presents  ‘powerful and contrasting visions of our world today’. 

Serge Aimé Coulibaly’s piece, driven by a fierce soundscape and fusion of African and contemporary dance, captures the chaos of conflict... 

In stark contrast, Vincent Mantsoe’s work takes audiences to far-flung corners of the earth, where spirituality and harmony shape everyday life.  

Midlands Arts Centre (mac), Birmingham, Thursday 25 & Friday 26 September; Malvern Theatres, Tuesday 21 October