Black Sabbath Ballet dubbed a great success on American tour
Birmingham Royal Ballet’s (BRB) tour of the United States with Black Sabbath – The Ballet was received with widespread acclaim.
The BRB, led by creative director Carlos Acosta, joined forces with the University of Birmingham (UoB), celebrating its 125th anniversary, and the tour included performances at the Virginia Arts Festival and the Kennedy Center in Washington.
Black Sabbath – The Ballet, which premiered in Birmingham, formed a central part of the tour and guests from key cultural and academic institutions in Washington DC and Maryland were treated to performances.
The ballet showcases the birth of heavy metal in Birmingham through Black Sabbath together with the creative genius of Carlos Acosta.
Nearly 4,000 saw the ballet in Virginia and almost 8,500 at the Kennedy Center, where the show received many standing ovations.
The British Ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, joined the reception and said that BRB had “done Britian and Birmingham proud”. He was joined by the Deputy Mayor of Birmingham, Cllr Ken Wood and his wife.
A roundtable lunch with the BRB and UoB was held at the British Embassy in Washington together with invited guests from Washington’s cultural and academic sectors to explore the value of cultural export and exchange, collaboration and the power of partnership.
Hosted by Carlos Acosta and UoB’s Professor Daniel Moore (drama, English and creative studies) and Andréa Edwards, director of global relations and research.
This tour followed the 2023 sell our tour of Black Sabbath – The Ballet in the UK and Europe ahead of the return of this runaway success to stages in the UK from September 2025 with performances at Birmingham Hippodrome from 18 to 27 September.
Pictured: Carlos Acosta (left) with the British Ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson
