Dance City is aiming for North-East performers to shine right across the UK. Viv Hardwick reports.

ANTONY Baker’s inaugural season as director of Newcastle’s Dance City has seen the venue attracting new audiences to watch world-class work. He says: “Dance City is a vibrant and essential part of the North-East cultural offer. We also work with artists to help them create new work, fundraise and access further training.”

Key areas for him were audience development and revamping the current professional performance programme. Baker focused on a richly diverse and well-received season of work. This included the family-friendly SILK by resident company ZENDEH, to hip hop comedy theatre with Rannel and the circus-inspired spectacle of The Mill, both dance and theatre lovers have voted with their feet, which means that Dance City enters 2011 on a wave of confidence..

The season began with the energetic Phoenix Dance Theatre from Leeds and its latest touring work Declarations. Then, in October, Dance City celebrated its fifth birthday in the new building in style with a Public Announcement night to remember.

Ockham’s Razor delighted on-lookers for three nights and a matinee during November with the awe-inspiring The Mill, a mix of aerial dance, physical theatre and circus. A set of engineering brilliance provided the backdrop for an intelligent and death-defying show, a real debut coup for Baker.

Progress has been made behind the scenes too, collaborating with venues both locally and nationwide.

Dance City and ARC in Stockton have pledged support to Anthony Lo-Giudice, a North-East-based dance artist, as the first to take up the newly developed role of associate artist. Every year, a dance artist from the region will be given studio time and other in-kind support as a means of sustaining and developing North-East dancers..

Baker has also created links in Leeds, Manchester and Edinburgh so that work can be collectively toured around the four cities. Resident company Surface Area Dance Theatre has already performed in Leeds alongside high calibre work, and Dance City will host representatives from the other cities at Public Announcement in March.

New relationships have also been forged with local theatres to create touring opportunities for regional artists, as a means of taking some top quality choreography, made in the North-East, out to other parts of the the UK.

Baker adds: “This month we will launch our new business plan, which will detail how we can work with communities, those in education and artists.

We aspire to reach more people across the whole of the North-East. We are excited by the opportunities ahead and are looking forward to a successful future.

We hope that the people of the North-East can join us on this exciting journey.”

■ Appetite Dance Productions: Life After Life / The Heart Of Him Friday, February 4. 8pm. Tickets: £12 (£8 conc.) These two interconnecting pieces are a fusion of contemporary dance and imagery drawn from East and West. Choreographer Apple Yang.

The performance is part of the 2011 Chinese New Year celebrations.

■ Balletboyz: The Talent, Friday-Saturday, February 18-19. 8pm. £15 (£10 conc.) Balletboyz, led by former Royal Ballet leads Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, is one of the most cheekily original and innovative forces in modern dance. Ten dancers star in this explosive feast of exhilarating live dance, cleverly fused with the company’s trademark use of film.

Box Office: 0191-261-0505 dancecity.co.uk