Black Sabbath Ballet announces international dates after huge success of UK run

Black Sabbath – The Ballet has confirmed a run of international dates for 2024 and 2025.

The music of the heavy metal pioneers and the delicate aesthetic of the world of ballet may seem like an unlikely pairing, but the huge success of last year's Black Sabbath ballet dates in the UK has peaked interest around the world.

Now Black Sabbath – The Ballet will head to the Netherlands for four dates, followed by two shows in Luxembourg and two more in Germany this year before hitting the USA for a run of seven performances over five days in 2025.

The ballet launched in 2023 in the band’s home city of Birmingham and is the brainchild of Birmingham Royal Ballet company director Carlos Acosta. He worked with an extended creative team of choreographers, composers and designers – alongside a collection of dancers and musicians – to bring the music of Black Sabbath to life like never before.

After the Birmingham run, the ballet moved to Plymouth then London.

Sabbath icon Tony Iommi was a supporter of the idea and worked closely with the production team.

Iommi told Classic Rock last year: “It’s exciting, isn’t it? We’re still breaking boundaries all these years later. I loved Carlos’s approach – to go out to do something he believes in. It’s what we did when we started.

"The belief I’ve always had with our music is that you have to step out the box and try something different, and to keep on, to keep believing in it. Carlos has had that same approach with his ballet."

Organisers Birmingham Royal Ballet say: "Black Sabbath forged their unique sound in Birmingham Royal Ballet’s home city. In Black Sabbath – The Ballet expect a spectacular theatrical evening featuring thrilling dance alongside full orchestrations of legendary Black Sabbath tracks such as Paranoid and Iron Man, as well as new orchestral works inspired by their music – all performed live by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia."

More information and tickets are available on the Birmingham Royal Ballet website.

Black Sabbath – The Ballet 2024 and 2025

June 12-15, 2024: Luxor Theatre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
June 19-20, 2024: Grand Theatre de la Ville de Luxembourg, Luxembourg
July 9-10, 2024: Staatsoper, Hamburg, Germany
June 4-8, 2025: The Kennedy Center Opera House, Washington DC, USA