Enchanting fairytales, hip-hop, and Queer culture are all part of Dance City’s astounding Autumn/Winter season.

Wherever you look in Dance City’s new programme you’ll find wonderments, and that’s very evident with their new season opener which is Natural Behaviour (29 September, £16). This award-winner from Thick and Tight sits somewhere between a variety show and biology essay, and is a Queer look at what it means to be “natural” or “unnatural”, highlighting the essential role of diversity in all life. But does it feature two moths, a pantomime horse, the dust in Quentin Crisp’s room, a lamenting songbird, and a lesbian seagull? Yes, of course it does. Hip-hop continues to thrive in the region and the community are sure to be out in force for Triple Threat – Newcastle Vice (31 October, £15). The north-east’s biggest breaking competition, this event will be a pure celebration of dance, music, and hip-hop culture, with UK and international B-boys and B-girls battling it out at this family-friendly event. Moving into November, PCK Dance—led by James Pett and Travis Clausen-Knight— is bringing Into the Light our way (11 November, £16), which features two electrifying shows. In ‘Vessel’, three bodies move through cycles of emergence, resistance and surrender, while ‘In the Absence’, a vast mirrored floor of fragmented silver confetti is where two dancers navigate memory and renewal. Next up is Rebellious Bodies with Mother Forest (17 November, £16). This ensemble piece sees three generations of butoh lineage coming together to pay homage to Kazuo Ohno—a key figure of the movement. TWAWSI: The World As We See It (27 November, £18) from ACE Dance and Music is a new double bill consisting of ‘Echoes of Dust’ (featuring a world torn apart by war and disaster) and ‘Letlalo’ (which draws from African, Indigenous and contemporary dance). Finally this year, Ballet Cymru will make a welcome return with Sleeping Beauty (pictured - 3-5 December, £23), with audiences invited into a world of enchantment, love, magic and destiny—all set to Tchaikovsky’s iconic score. Featuring innovative choreography and immersive projections, this classic tale remains truly spellbinding.

More details: dancecity.co.uk/performances