Reaching parts of the country that otherwise it couldn't reach, Birmingham Royal Ballet is to do a split tour of mixed ballets across the UK's theatres, one group travelling to south and west, the other going north and east.

Now in its ninth year, the summer split enables the Midlands company to present full-scale short ballets with orchestra in medium-sized theatres. Poole in Dorset and Truro in Cornwall will see a group of lyrical ballets including a new piece to Dave Brubeck's jazz immortal, Take Five, by BRB director David Bintley along with classical sweetmeats from Swan Lake and The Two Pigeons. The north-east tour goes to Durham's Gala Theatre, York's Theatre Royal and Buxton Opera House with a comedy-slanted choice including numbers from John Cranko's Gilbert and Sullivan favourite Pineapple Poll, Bintley's Hobson's Choice, Kenneth MacMillan's Elite Syncopations and a fizzy classical pas de deux from Don Quixote.

South & West tour

The Lighthouse, Poole 8-9 May - Box Office: 0844 406 8666

Hall for Cornwall, Truro 11-12 May - Box Office: 01872 262466

• Take Five
• Concerto Pas de deux
• Swan Lake "White Swan" pas de deux
• The Two Pigeons excerpt
• The Grand Tour

North & East tour

Gala Theatre, Durham 8–9 May  - Box Office: 0191 332 4041

Theatre Royal, York 11–12 May - Box Office: 01904 623568

Buxton Opera House 15–16 May - Box Office: 0845 127 2190

• Lyric Pieces
• Pineapple Poll
• Hobson’s Choice Clog Dance and Lily of Laguna
• Elite Syncopations Bethena Concert Waltz
• Don Quixote Pas de deux