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The international award-winning Rosie Kay Dance Company is taking its thought-provoking and moving production, 5 SOLDIERS: The Body is the Frontline, on tour across England, supported by the Arts Council and the Army Benevolent Fund.

With the commemorations of WWI in the news, 5 SOLDIERS demonstrates how the human body is still central to all conflict, the impact and injuries lasting long after the headlines fade.

5 SOLDIERS delivers Rosie Kay’s trademark style of intense physical and athletic dance theatre to offer an intimate view of the training that prepares soldiers for combat, for the possibility of injury, and the impact war has on the body and mind.

The tour is the first of its kind in the UK and will see the company work not just with theatres, but military bases and the Army Welfare Service, to involve service personnel and their families, young people and veterans, in a huge programme of outreach work and community performances.

Speaking about the production, General Sir Nick Parker, KCB, CBE said: “Rosie Kay’s use of dance to help create a complex and nuanced picture of conflict is one of the most innovative and compelling initiatives that I have experienced in the aftermath of Iraq and Afghanistan.

“It demonstrates how art can be used as a powerful tool in the healing process, how it can touch the extended family of those who have been caught in the horror of battle and how it can send a universal message about the soldier.

“It is an extraordinary achievement which will make a difference to many people.”

Rosie Kay’s moving exploration of war was made following an intense two week period of field research when she joined The 4th Battalion The Rifles and experienced full battle exercises on Dartmoor and Salisbury Plain.

“This tour is so exciting for the company- we really want more people to see the work, and experience the power of the message,” explained Rosie Kay. “Despite advances in technologies of war and the treatment of war injuries, so many people are going to be dealing with the impact of our long stretch of operations.

“This affects not just soldiers, but their families, their friends and it affects us as a society.  We have a responsibility to understand what it is we ask our soldiers to do, and how it affects them.

“We know 5 SOLDIERS really resonates with serving and former soldiers, and so we are widening our tour to include performances, talks, a symposium and an incredible outreach programme across the whole of UK. 

“It’s an ambitious programme for us as a company, and combines all our years of experience from making outdoor work, site-specific work, community engagement, high quality touring work and professional training and development.

“We aim to make an impact with this tour and make people see conflict and the repercussions of war in a new way.”

Find out more

Rosie Kay is one the world’s leading female choreographers with a reputation for making work that tackles interesting subjects with exciting collaborations. Watch this video to find out more. 

The 5 SOLDIERS tour is supported Arts Council England's National Lottery-funded Grants for the arts programme.

Tour dates

• 23-25 April, Birmingham


• 2 & 3 May, Oxford


• 5 and 7-9 May, London


• 14 and 16 May, Newcastle


• 23 and 24 May, Bournemouth


• 29 and 30 May, Manchester


• 5 and 6 June, York


• 12 and 13 June, Brecon


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For show information and event information click here.