Award-winning choreographer and dancer Rosie Kay brings her acclaimed company K2CO to Leeds this summer with a thought-provoking double bill that celebrates and questions the role of the female dancer.
A Thing of Beauty will be performed at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre on 2 and 3 July, offering audiences the chance to experience two of Kay’s most significant works in one evening: the autobiographical solo Adult Female Dancer and the acclaimed Fantasia.
Created roughly a year apart, both pieces share a common thread: an exploration of how women see themselves, how they are perceived by others, and how they express identity through dance.
Premiered in 2019 and named one of The Guardian’s Best Dance pieces of that year, Fantasia brings together three female dancers in a lush, sensory celebration of beauty. Inspired by historical and modern ideals of beauty, the work plays with the performers’ presentation, perfection and authenticity, all set to an uplifting score featuring Bach, Vivaldi, Beethoven and Vaughan Williams.
Rosie Kay describes Fantasia as “pleasurable, beautiful, joyous… gorgeous to look at and designed to take you places and tickle your senses.”
In contrast, Adult Female Dancer turns inward, shining a light on Kay’s own relationship with dance and her body over decades of performing. Created during the Covid lockdowns, the piece uses recorded words and an eclectic soundtrack including Patti Smith, Ennio Morricone, Brian Eno and Bach. It was nominated for Best Female Performance (Dance) at the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards in 2022.
Reflecting on the work, Kay says: “My material is always saying something about the world but at that time I realised it’s also saying something about me. It felt like with Covid and the world on pause it was the right time to go back to who I am, where I’ve come from and to tackle some things about myself.”
A Thing of Beauty promises an evening of powerful, honest and visually captivating dance, showcasing one of the UK’s most distinctive choreographic voices.
Tickets are now on sale. Visit northernballet.com/theatre/2025/k2co for details and to book.
