Best of 2014: Dance preview

Zoe Anderson picks this year's must-see dance

Ivan Vasiliev in ‘Kings of the Dance’ (Getty)

The Prince of the Pagodas

Birmingham Royal Ballet dance the UK premiere of David Bintley’s production, a fairy tale with a brave heroine and a salamander prince. It’s danced to Benjamin Britten’s shimmering, gamelan-tinged score, with costumes by War Horse designer Rae Smith. Tour starts 30 January, The Lowry, Salford, and runs to 29 March

Kings of the Dance

This gala show, first staged in 2006, has shown off some of today’s most celebrated male dancers. The London line-up features the spectacular ex-Bolshoi star Ivan Vasiliev, Roberto Bolle, Marcelo Gomes, Denis Matvienko and Leonid Sarafano. London Coliseum, 19 to 22 March

Lest We Forget

English National Ballet honours the centenary of the First World War with new works by award- winning choreographers Akram Khan, Russell Maliphant and Liam Scarlett. Scarlett and Maliphant both come from ballet backgrounds, but it will be fascinating to see Khan, with his contemporary/Indian classical roots, working with a ballet company. Barbican Theatre, London, 2 to 12 April

Lord of the Flies

The latest show from Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures adapts William Golding’s famous novel, moving the action from a desert island to a deserted theatre, where a group of abandoned schoolboys start to make their own society. Bourne directs; the choreography is by Scott Ambler, with designs by Lez Brotherston. Tour starts 2 April, The Lowry, Salford, and runs to 6 December

The Winter’s Tale

Christopher Wheeldon’s new work for the Royal Ballet takes on Shakespeare’s tale of jealousy and redemption. How will Wheeldon handle a complex narrative – complete with time jumps and a bear – in dance form? He’ll be working with composer Joby Talbot and designer Bob Crowley. Royal Opera House, London, 10 April to 8 May

The Tempest Replica

Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite explores Shakespeare’s The Tempest as a game of revenge and forgiveness. Pite has created impressive works for other companies: this is a chance to see her own company, Kidd Pivot. Sadler’s Wells, London, 25 & 26 April; Birmingham Hippodrome, 2 & 3 May

The Mariinsky Ballet

The troupe returns to London with three full-length ballets: Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake and Alexei Ratmansky’s playfully updated Cinderella. There’s also a double bill of George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Apollo, and a triple bill of The Firebird, Frederick Ashton’s romantic Marguerite and Armand and Ratmansky’s Concerto DSCH. Royal Opera House, London, 28 July to 14 August