Virginia Arts Festival Presents
The U.S. Premiere of Birmingham Royal Ballet 
Black Sabbath - The Ballet 
May 30 - 31, 2025 
Chrysler Hall, Norfolk 

Celebrating the Birmingham-born, iconic rock band Black Sabbath 

Virginia Arts Festival will present the U.S. premiere of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Black Sabbath- The Ballet in May 2025, celebrating the iconic, Birmingham-born heavy metal band Black Sabbath. The ballet features eight of Black Sabbath’s biggest hits in thrilling arrangements which will be performed live by Virginia Symphony Orchestra. The ballet will have its U.S. premiere in Norfolk before traveling to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. 

Fusing the wild energy of a rock concert with the strength and grace of ballet, the new work debuted in Birmingham in 2023 to rave reviews. Pointe Magazine praised the company for “transforming how ballet looks and sounds, finding harmony in classical aesthetics and raw, heavy-metal athleticism.” Rock chronicle Kerrang! called the new work a “feast for the eye… a compelling, immersive experience.” And Time Out called it “simply a lot of fun.”  

Famed for lead singer Ozzie Osbourne’s stage antics, Black Sabbath played its first show in 1968 at The Crown, a pub located just a five-minute walk away from Birmingham Royal Ballet’s headquarters. The ballet company’s artistic director Carlos Acosta noted “Black Sabbath is probably Birmingham’s biggest export, the most famous (and infamous) cultural entity to ever emerge from the city - so I was naturally drawn to the idea of a collaboration between what most people might think are the most unlikely of partners.” 

Tony Iommi, Black Sabbath’s co-founder and lead guitarist, and a Birmingham resident, was all for the idea. “Black Sabbath have always been innovators and never been predictable, and it doesn’t come any more unpredictable than this,” he said. “I’d never imagined pairing Black Sabbath with ballet, but it’s got a nice ring to it!” The eight Black Sabbath songs featured in the ballet are: “Paranoid”, “Ironman”, “War Pigs”, “Black Sabbath”, “Solitude”, “Orchid”, “Laguna Sunrise”, and “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.”  

The creative team behind the new work includes some of the most influential artists today, including Swedish choreographer Pontus Lidburg. Tony-Award winning composer Christopher Austin conjured the score, which brings the raucous energy of heavy metal to the orchestra. A live guitarist performs on stage with the dancers. The lighting design, which summons the spectacle of an arena rock concert, is by Kieron Johnson.  

The engagement marks the fifth time Virginia Arts Festival has presented Birmingham Royal Ballet; the first was a headline-making 2007 appearance celebrating the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown in Virginia which included a visit by HRH Prince Charles. “Birmingham Royal Ballet is one of the great ballet companies in the world,” noted Virginia Arts Festival Perry Artistic Director Robert W. Cross. “We are honored to present their first U.S. performances of this electrifying new ballet.”  

“I am thrilled to be bringing Black Sabbath - the Ballet to Norfolk for its US premiere. As a global phenomenon, Black Sabbath is probably Birmingham's greatest cultural export and we look forward to welcoming music and ballet fans alike to see the show. The audience, and critical, response in the UK was overwhelmingly positive so we have high hopes that the US will embrace this cultural collision in the same way. I can't wait to see the reaction,” say Carlos Acosta, artistic director. 

Presented in partnership with Seven Venues.  

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Virginia Arts Festival residency is made possible by a generous gift by Joan Brock.  

Tickets for Birmingham Royal Ballet Black Sabbath - The Ballet are on sale now, available online at vafest.org, by phone at 757-282-2822, or at the Festival Ticket Office, 440 Bank St., Norfolk (Monday - Friday, 10 am - 5 pm). 

Birmingham Royal Ballet 
Black Sabbath- The Ballet 
Friday, May 30, 7:30 pm 
Saturday, May 31, 2:00 pm 
Saturday, May 31, 7:30 pm 
Chrysler Hall, Norfolk