Flexus Dance Collective and Sterran Dance Theatre have announced they will return to their associate theatre, Arena Theatre Wolverhampton, with their groundbreaking collaborative production All About the Fight - Going the Distance on Tuesday 19 December.

The innovative Grime dance theatre work premiered at the Arena Theatre in April 2022, and since then has been reworked to new heights and with new dancers by Choreographer and Artistic Director Katy Sterran.

Showcasing and celebrating the talent of the West Midlands, the evening in Wolverhampton will open with a rip-roaring programme of performances by local guest Grime artists and presentations by junior boxers of Brightstar Boxing Academy in Shifnal, Shropshire.

There will then be a curtain-raiser by AATF Boys, a newly-created group of influential young males from the West Midlands, who will unite to showcase their new work. Choreographed by Flexus Dance Collective’s Associate Artist Shaun Dillon, and in collaboration with composer Mad EP and Brightstar Boxing Academy, their work will take the audience on a rollercoaster of emotions fuelled by the passion that defines the All About the Fight project.

The main event for the evening is All About the Fight - Going the Distance, performed by Sterran Dance Theatre. Going the Distance is an innovation of Grime dance theatre that honours the skill, culture, and spirit of boxing. Over twelve rounds, Going the Distance tackles personal fights around social and psychological limitations through empowering storytelling that promotes the resilience and strength of the human spirit. Created in collaboration with Wolverhampton-based Grime artist J Man, composer Mad EP and professional boxing coach Mitchell Roberts, Going the Distance draws on extensive ethnographical training with boxing, dance, and music communities, and is a testament to the endurance of the soul and the fight within all of us. Through a captivating fusion of diverse dance genres and live high-energy grime music, the audience will go the distance in fights behind the limelight where movement and music are fierce, passion is palpable, and winners are measured within.

The evening’s explosive and climatic 12th round is an empowering curtain-closer called #wearepowerful which features over 40 young people from the West Midlands, co-created with young local Grime artist TB, junior boxers of Brightstar Boxing Academy and youth dancers of Flexus Dance Collective. Uniting dance, sport, and Grime music through an enriched collaborative process, the curtain-closer celebrates the transformative power of expression, and the strength and influence of the young generation.

Due to the performance of All About the Fight - Going the Distance at Arena Theatre Wolverhampton on Tuesday 19 December having already sold out, Flexus Dance Collective and the Arena Theatre have opened up the afternoon’s dress rehearsal to the public to purchase tickets at a reduced cost. The open dress rehearsal starts at 4pm and tickets cost just £7.50. Tickets can be booked online via Arena Theatre Wolverhampton’s website.

To find out more allaboutthefight.net.