Richard Alston’s iconic Roughcut is danced to Steve Reich’s shimmeringly beautiful New York and Electric Counterpoints, played live by clarinettist Roger Heaton and guitarist James Woodrow. A euphoric display of energy, Roughcut was first performed in 1990 and has rarely been revived since.

Alston’s latest choreography, A Ceremony of Carols, is a Sadler’s Wells co-commission. Danced to Benjamin Britten’s masterpiece for boys choir, it is sung and played live by Canterbury Cathedral’s choir, conducted by David Flood and accompanied by harpist Camilla Pay.

Completing the bill and choreographed by Martin Lawrance is Lie of the Land, performed to Ned Rorem’s String Quartet No. 4. The Times declared it to be “Lawrance’s most impressive dance yet. Strong, clear and charged with expressive tension” when it premiered in 2010.

On Thursday 1 March at 1.30pm Richard Alston will present a lecture demonstration using work from his current and past repertoire. This will be an opportunity for students to get a rare insight into Richard's choreography and gain a deeper understanding of his repertoire. This will be followed by a performance of Alston's iconic work Roughcut.