With 2016 marking one of the biggest Shakespeare milestones to date, it's little wonder that just about everyone's been getting stuck in to the 400th anniversary celebrations, particularly in the playwright's native West Midlands. Back in April, Birmingham Royal Ballet dancers Elisha Willis and Tyrone Singleton performed a preview from David Bintley's brand new Shakespeare Suite, which sets snapshots of Shakespeare's best-loved couples to a swinging Duke Ellington soundtrack. Then in July, the company revived John Cranko's lively 1969 ballet of The Taming of the Shrew to rave reviews.

Now the BRB continues its focus on the Bard with a full season of shows inspired by some of Shakespeare's most iconic plays. Two sets of three short ballets sandwich the autumn season with a mix of new and established works by Bintley, José Limón, Frederick Ashton and Jessica Lang, but the jewel in its crown will be the world premiere of Bintley's full-length adaptation of The Tempest.

In some respects, it's hard to conceive a better choice to translate into a physical medium. Wild, wonderful and a little bit weird, Shakespeare's last solo play is set on an isolated island where Prospero, the former Duke of Milan, lives in banishment with his daughter, Miranda. There, he practises magic, conjuring island spirits to do his bidding, foremost among them the mysterious Ariel, whom Prospero rescues from captivity. Also under his command is the earthy island child Caliban, a “thing of darkness” born to the cruel witch Sycorax. Yet at the same time, The Tempest's complexity can make it an unwieldy and difficult piece to stage even as a play, let alone in other forms. Fortunately, the company's ever-inventive artistic director is well-equipped for the challenge.

“David is like a dramaturg as well as a choreographer,” says Iain Mackay, who plays the ageing magician Prospero. “He does allow us to find our own way, but he's so aware of the text and how he's going to bring out the story in dance that sometimes I think the best thing to do is just be led by him. If you want to understand how he wants it, one of the best things to do is just to watch him. He's amazing, especially with the acting: all of a sudden he just gets up and completely becomes the character – and then he does the other ones as well!”

“I think with a production like this, because the play is so complicated, probably half the people in the company have no idea what's going on for some of it!” says Jenna Roberts, who plays Miranda. “But when you're a lead character, you definitely need to know what the part entails and the emotions they're feeling. David did explain some of it - in the very first rehearsal we discussed what kind of person Miranda was, but I don't think he did that with everyone. I like to read about it, watch the play and watch movies so I can get a really good idea of them.”

The storms, spells and shipwrecks that fill The Tempest's scenes demand bold creative choices – something at which Bintley has always excelled. Among the more unusual aspects of this production is its extensive use of aerial choreography.

“We've done flying ballet before, but I guess that's what you'd call quite basic stuff. Generally you're up and off, like in Aladdin or The Nutcracker, whereas in this, it's very choreographic and there's the whole element of the character still moving in the way that he should,” says Mackay.

“It seems difficult at first, but actually it's easier than I thought it was going to be. We have really, really good instructors,” says Joseph Caley, who plays Prospero's shipwrecked nephew Ferdinand. “It's all about where you put your weight – the harness can really rub on your hips, but once you get the technique down, it's quite fun. I think for the Ariels, they have to do this sort of dive which can be quite difficult to control, just tipping your body and holding it there, whereas I do tumbling, so it's just somersaults.”

“After I've done all my tumbling, we have these strange fish characters that grab on to me and start rocking me and moving me around. They've also put some bungee cord in so there's a kind of buoyancy effect to it. I'm supposed to be drowning, basically – that's how I start,” he adds.

“Just the thought of it's making me feel sick!” laughs Mackay. Fortunately for him, Prospero doesn't have to do any flying. In fact, as often as not, he's the one who's making other people fly.

In addition to the choreography, there's also the design to consider, and for this production, Bintley has assembled a stellar team, at the heart of which is award-winning War Horse designer Rae Smith.

“The designs are stunning. Hands down this is the best costume I've ever had!” says Mackay. “The first thing she showed me was a picture from a movie with Clive Owen in it, and I thought it was brilliant. I've got an amazing cloak, and there are all these incredible masks in it too. I think the guy who made them does things for Doctor Who and stuff like that. They're unbelievable!”

“I think they've tried to keep it sort of period-ish, but it's a stylised take on that,” says Caley. “It can't be exact, because I've got to be able to move around and lift my arms up in it, but they're going for that look.”

For most ballet dancers, starring in a world premiere would be something that happens only on an occasional basis, but at BRB, the company is accustomed to regularly taking on new creations and new challenges, keeping the dancers (quite literally) on their toes.

“It's part of what makes it good to be in this company – it's exciting, it's new and the rep's constantly changing,” says Mackay. “If we did Swan Lake from now until next August we'd all be pulling our hair out, and I think so would the audiences.”

“We've done quite a lot recently – we've had Cinderella and Aladdin too, but generally I guess it's not that common. We're really lucky to have David,” Roberts agrees.

“The thing is, with a new production like this, we don't know how it's going to be. It's a journey for us as well. With anything else, you can go and watch YouTube videos of the dancers you love so you can see their take on it – I could go and look up how Carlos did something and wish that I could do it like him. Whereas if you've got something new that's come straight from the man at the front of the studio, you've got no idea what you're going to be doing,” Mackay adds.

In this regard, the opportunities that BRB presents for young talent are almost unparalleled. Not only does being part of the company provide them with a steady position and a chance to work with one of Britain's most celebrated living choreographers, it's also a relatively small, tight-knit team where everyone gets a chance to shine on stage.

“We're not like the Royal Ballet – there's only 60 of us, and David often brings through young dancers. I've been here for 17 years now – I got my first principal role when I was 20,” says Mackay. “It's a really talented company, and while David always picks whoever he thinks will be best for a role, he's got the luxury that everyone in the company is really strong. There are a lot of young members who are phenomenal, but also dancers that have been here a long time who are better than ever now.”

Birmingham Royal Ballet perform The Tempest at Birmingham Hippodrome from Saturday 1 until Saturday 8 October.