New dance show The Brown Suite brings iconic music to UK audiences this September

The Brown Suite, a new high-energy funk-fuelled show by dancing duo BlacBrik announces its upcoming tour to 12 venues across UK cities. It kicks off with the London premiere in Richmond Theatre on Wednesday 30 September, and concludes at York Grand Opera House on Friday 20 November.

Envisioned, directed and choreographed by BlacBrik’s founders Nahum McLean and Darius Drooh, The Brown Suite is produced by Fundamentally Dance, with Jamiel Devernay-Laurence as the creative producer. Following the success of Ballet Nights, a new dance tradition crafted to celebrate dance and dancers worldwide, The Brown Suite brings a story of love and resilience to UK audiences, set to the iconic music and voices of James Brown, Etta James and Sam Cooke.

Nahum McLean, from Manchester, and Darius Drooh, from California, met at the Alvin Ailey School in New York in 2013. They founded their dancing duo BlacBrik ten years later, in 2023. The Brown Suite is their first long-form narrative piece, bringing 1970s nightlife vibes in a performance jam-packed with killer moves, funk and soul.

The movement language in The Brown Suite combines the technical precision of ballet and modern dance with the rhythm, groove and expressive qualities of funk and jazz. Driven by the music throughout, the choreography moves between full-company numbers and intimate duets to reflect the story's shifts from romance to conflict to release.

The piece showcases seven dancers who collide in a series of rhythm-driven encounters. The movement embraces James Brown’s powerful music through playful flirtation, intoxicating romance, heartbreak, conflict and redemption. The group’s connections spark and fracture through the charged emotional landscape of 1970s New York City, where pride, desire and vulnerability intertwine. Resilience emerges through an untameable groove, allowing the characters to rediscover their sense of self. They not only rebuild relationships, but their own power and identity.

BlacBrik founders and choreographers of The Brown Suite Nahum McLean and Darius Drooh said: “With The Brown Suite, we want to explore the spaces where music, movement and community came together in 1970s New York—where soul and funk brought people together, and where every gathering held stories of joy, connection and change.

“As the story unfolds, we explore the relationships that shape a community, the moments that bring people closer, and the tensions that can shift those connections. We’re so excited to tour this work across the UK and share its warmth, energy and drama with audiences. More than anything, we want people to feel the music in their bodies and maybe even dance their way home.”

Committed to bringing dance and music to all, The Brown Suite team collaborated with Tristan Jones-Smith, Creative Engagement Manager at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, to create an impactful education pack for students across the UK. The pack supports learning across Drama, Dance and English, with links to devising, performance, analysis and creative writing. The activities encourage students to develop skills in communication, collaboration and critical thinking, while exploring themes of identity, relationships and self-expression with both practical and written outcomes.