A cast of more than 50 local Greenwich people aged between 8 and 80 years old will perform in Ballroom of Joys and Sorrows, a new work by Kate Flatt, choreographer of hit musical Les Miserables. Ballroom of Joys and Sorrows, a Greenwich Dance co-production with Watford Palace Theatre will be performed at the Borough Hall on June 1 and 2.

Drawing upon traditional English and Brazilian folk dance and music, the show features a cast of international performers and musicians as well as local people of all ages.

Ballroom of Joys and Sorrows, a unique intergenerational performance, celebrates the rituals of life through dance - the transition from child to adult, departure and reunion, pain and loss and the celebration of union and love.

The work has been created by Watford Palace Creative Associate Kate Flatt with especially composed live music mixing traditional English ballads and Brazilian styles by master percussionist Adriano Adewale.

This is the first of two major works to be seen at Greenwich Dance this summer which bring internationally acclaimed talent from the West End to South East London. On Thursday 21 June, Handspring Puppet Company, famous for its production of War Horse, brings Crow to the Borough Hall as part of Greenwich + Docklands International Festival and the London 2012 Festival.

Greenwich Dance is the Big Dance Hub for South East London, bringing 8 weeks of dance to unusual places across Greenwich, Lewisham, Bromley and Bexley from 18 May – 15 July.

The events in Greenwich are part of The Greenwich Festivals series, funded by Royal Borough of Greenwich, celebrating the cultural vibrancy of London’s newest Royal borough.