Preview: Thick & Tight @ Dance City

Thick & Tight bring their acclaimed dance‑theatre whirlwind Natural Behaviour to Dance City on Tuesday 29th September, delivering a gloriously strange, sharply political and deeply playful collage of portraits that swings from James Baldwin to Quentin Crisp, from lamenting nightingales to moths, flies, blades of grass and even a pantomime horse with presidential undertones. Declared The Guardian’s Dance Show of the Year in 2025, the piece blends dance, satire, impersonation and poetry into something that feels part variety show, part biology lesson, part queer cabaret — all fizzing with the company’s trademark mix of outrageous humour and unexpected emotional punch. Co‑directors Daniel Hay‑Gordon and El Perry are joined by a standout cast including Annie Edwards, Azara Meghie and Jahmarley Bachelor, with design from Tim Spooner, Pam Tait, Darren Evans and Nao Nagai, building a world that’s as eccentric as it is sharply observed. Fresh from sell‑out runs and a stack of four‑ and five‑star reviews, Natural Behaviour arrives in Newcastle as part of a wider UK tour, continuing Thick & Tight’s mission to shake up traditional ideas of “artistic excellence” and prove that dance can be political, provocative and wildly entertaining all at once.

Tickets are available on the Dance City website.