Opera, Dance and the Performing Arts in London

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Riverside Studios

Juggling theatre, dance and performance art, the Riverside Studios feature innovative, varied programming and first-rate facilities. Consequently, it's held in high esteem by dance circles, with the venue regularly attracting acclaimed performers from the United Kingdom and abroad.

Riverside Studios: innovative arts centre in West London.

Although smaller than the Barbican or Southbank, Riverside Studios if anything offers a more diverse choice than either. As well as dance, theatre and film it also hosts art and photography exhibtions, TV shows, book launches, workshops, live music and comedy.

Situated in a pleasant riverside location, overlooking the Thames in Hammersmith.

Southbank Centre

Situated on the south bank of the River Thames next to the popular BA London Eye, Southbank Centre is at the heart of an arts quarter stretching from the Royal National Theatre and National Film Theatre to Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe.

Southbank Centre consists of the Royal Festival Hall, the Hayward Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Hall (containing the Purcell Room), and the Saison Poetry Library. SC also manage the Arts Council Collection and organises the National Touring Exhibition programme in venues throughout the UK.

Southbank Centre's wide-ranging programme: classical & world music, rock & pop, jazz, dance, literature and the visual arts - attracts the most diverse audience of any UK venue.

Barbican Centre

Is a major dance venue and also stages theatre, music and other arts productions. In addition it is also the home of the internationally renowned London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Let's be upfront, it's no looker. Built in an area north of the City of London which was heavily bomb damaged during the second world-war, it was a gift by the City to the nation, at a cost approaching £500m in today's money. It's built in the 'Brutalist' style using concrete, pressed into slabs, which absorb airborne particulants and discolour in an unattractive way. The central ziggurat was recently voted London's ugliest building.

Sadler’s Wells

Sadler's Wells is a theatre with a strong, dynamic contemporary programme, uniquely dedicated to bringing the very best international and UK dance to London audiences. The present day theatre seats 1,500 and specialises in dance, ranging from ballet to hip hop, contemporary dance to flamenco. Opera, theatre, visual arts and dance on screen also feature in its repertoire.

The present building on Rosebery Avenue in Islington opened in 1998, after a major fundraising programme, supported by Lottery funding. Behind the stylish glass, brick, wood and steel of the new theatre is a history spanning over 300 years. Six previous theatre buildings have carried the Sadler's Wells name and occupied the same site since the first opened its doors in 1683.

Opera Holland Park

Opera Holland Park is a summer opera company which produces an annual season of opera performances under a temporary canopy in Holland Park (to the west of Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens. The venue is fully covered but is open at the sides.

As part of a drive to improve artistic standards "Opera Holland Park" was established in 1996 to produce all future productions, and in recent years the company has enjoyed a long string of hits with major achievements in productions of more obscure repertoire. It is now considered one of the most accomplished non-state opera companies in the UK. The resident orchestra is the City of London Sinfonia.

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