Boy Blue present

Cycles

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A group of five performers dancing on stage during CYCLES, dressed in loose-fitting, modern streetwear, against a dark background. A group of five performers dancing on stage during CYCLES, dressed in loose-fitting, modern streetwear, against a dark background.
Date
21 - 22 Mar 2025
Venue
The Hall, Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester, M3 4JQ
Tickets
Standard Tickets £30 and £20
Affordable:
Concessions £15 and £10
Affordable :
Aviva £10 Tickets
A booking fee of £1.50 per ticket applies to all bookings.
This event has ended

Age recommendation 12+ Under 14s must be accompanied by an adult 18+
Running time: 90 minutes (including interval)

Accessibility features available for this event: Audio Description Wheelchair Access

Cycles is movement at its most fluid, distilled and skilled. Resolute and unapologetic, Boy Blue's latest production is a celebration of hip hop dance in all its forms.

Experience the connection between the movement on stage and the rhythm, groove and bounce of the music, as nine powerful dancers fill the space in what feels like unending motion.

Founded by Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante and Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy, Boy Blue are the UK’s most celebrated hip-hop dance theatre company. In 2023, they teamed up with Danny Boyle, Es Devlin, Sabrina Mahfouz and Gareth Pugh for our mind-bending opening show Free Your Mind. In 2024, they won the inaugural Sky Arts Award for Dance for their world-class body of work.

Cycles comes to Manchester after its world premiere at the Barbican in 2024. Immerse yourself in the wonders of hip hop, as we welcome Boy Blue back to Aviva Studios.

Photo by Camilla Greenwell.

Tickets

We have a range of affordable tickets, including options from £10 for those who may need them. You can find out more about our Affordable Ticketing Policy here.

For ticketing and box office related enquiries, please contact tickets@factoryinternational.org or call 0333 322 8679 (phone lines are open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm).

For more information please visit Ticketing and Sale of Goods Terms & Conditions – Factory International

Photos

  • Dancing that captivates [...] choreographic gold

    The Guardian

  • Terrific new piece from hip-hop company Boy Blue is a love letter to the euphoria you experience when you completely surrender to music

    The Telegraph

  • 'A triumphant celebration of the shared pleasures of dance'

    The Independent

An Introduction to Boy Blue

Five contemporary dancers perform with intense, expressive movements on stage, dressed in earthy-toned clothing. The central dancer leads the powerful scene, surrounded by others in dynamic, dramatic poses.
Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante and Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy are the masterminds behind hip-hop dance company Boy Blue. Get to know their style, influences and work – including Free Your Mind and CYCLES – here.

Credits

Co-commissioned by Barbican, London and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

Produced by Boy Blue

Supported using public funding by Arts Council England

Creative Team

Concept and Composition Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante

Choreography Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy

Associate Choreography Jade Hackett

Lighting Design Lee Curran

Costume Design Matthew Josephs

Dancers Jimmy Allan, Nicey Belgrave, Tanaka Bingwa, Gabija Čepelytė, Paris Crossley, Evion Hackett, Kyron ‘Nykro’ Jake, Kelsey ‘Hydro’ Miller, Corey Owens

Access information

Our full address is Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester M3 4JQ and the what3words is chop.feeds.chase.

You can approach Aviva Studios along Water Street (coming from Quay Street) or along Liverpool Road (coming from Deansgate or Castlefield). Both entrances to the building have double sets of glass doors.

Once inside Aviva Studios, there is step-free access to all areas of the venue. The flooring throughout the building is smooth concrete.

The entrance to the Warehouse is by lift or stairs from the Social. Two lifts and a staircase to the Warehouse are located in the Social opposite the bar.

The entrance to the Law Family Hall is by lift, escalator or stairs from one side of the Social beside the brick arches. There is only one escalator, and this will take you up to the Law Family Hall before the show, and will be reversed so that you can travel down at the end of the performance.

The Social has a range of seating, including those with arms and backs.

The bars in the Social and Hall Foyer have lowered accessible service points.

Our building is large. We have portable stools available to borrow if you would benefit from resting along the way during your visit.

We have wheelchair spaces and seats at standing events for all events.

There are accessible toilets on all public levels of our building.

Accessible toilets are located inside the main toilets space in the brick arches of the Social.

Here you’ll find a mixture of accessible cubicles with left- or right-hand transfer, towards the back of the space, as well as ambulant accessible cubicles with grab rails, as well as a Changing Places facility.

The toilets in the brick arches of the Social are split into male, female and gender neutral – all of which contain accessible cubicles. There are shared handwashing facilities in each arch – they have soap dispensers under the mirrors to your left and dryers to the right. There are separate handwashing facilities inside the accessible cubicles.

There are additional single-room accessible toilets located in both Hall Foyers, at stalls and circle level.

There are additional single-room accessible toilets located in the Warehouse Foyer.

You do not need a key to use the accessible toilets at Aviva Studios.

Assistance dogs are welcome in our building, and we can provide mats and water bowls on request, just ask a host when you arrive. We can also take care of your assistance dog if you do not want to take your dog into the performance space. Please also refer to our assistance dogs policy.

If you are bringing an assistance dog to a ticketed event, please let us know in advance by contacting access@factoryinternational.org or calling our access phone number: 0161 817 4531 (phone lines are open 10am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday).

Assistive listening is currently not available for this event. If you have any questions about our plans for assistive listening at Aviva Studios, or wish to share feedback on your experience at previous events, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us by email (access@factoryinternational.org) or by phone (0161 817 4531, Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm).

There is step-free access to all areas of the venue, including all doors to the Hall. The Hall has step-free seating in both the Stalls on row K, and in the Circle on row H and row N.  

To book access tickets and essential companion tickets please call 0161 817 4531 (Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm) or email access@factoryinternational.org, or book online.

Access bookings can be made by email, phone or online. They are also available in person at Aviva Studios.

There is an audio-described performance of CYCLES on Friday 21 March at 7.30pm.

Travel information

The building can be approached along Water Street (coming from Quay Street) or along Liverpool Road (coming from Deansgate or Castlefield).

The Water Street route is the quickest way to arrive at our City Square entrance.

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