Dancing with Diggers 10 and 11 May

Go along to the Plages du Prado North at 3pm or 9:30pm on Friday or Saturday to see Traction, a ballet with people and JCBs. It's a production by British performance company Motionhouse, it's part of the Folle Histoire des Arts de la rue, a series of street performances taking place all over the area and it's free. What more could you ask.

More contemporary circus - Orit Nevo 22-24 February

If you're a fan of contemporary circus, if you're curious, if you saw Knitting Peace, or if you regret not having seen it, here is another event that you should not miss. It's called Somewhere and Nowhere and it's about immigration. This production is a collaboration between Marseille based Archaos and Orit Nevo, an Israeli circus performer. It's a combination of theatre, circus and dance. Highly recommended.

It's at CREAC at 8:30pm on 22nd and 23rd and 4pm on 24th and it costs 16€. You can book via the MP2013 website or take a chance and pay when you get there. If you're using public transport, there's a bus leaving outside CREAC ten minutes after the performance to take you back to Bougainville metro.

Contemporary Dance 28 November to 1 December

Michel Kelemenis, the founder of KLAP-maison pour la danse in Marseille moves across to the Ballet National de Marseille to produce his work "le sixième pas", the sixth step. It will be performed by German dancer Katharina Christi and BNM's Japanese dancer Yasuuko Endo. The music is a composition by electroacoustics creator Christian Kanési.

The second performance is a piece by Yasuuko Endo himself: "Mayday, mayday this is...". he uses his experience of being in Tokyo during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami to inspire this work.

You can eat before or after the performance with tapas and drinks provided by La Boite a Sardine.
Perfomances are:
Wednesday 3:30 and 8:30pm
Thursday 8:30pm
Friday 8:30pm
Tickets are  9€ and 12€. To book telephone 04 91 327 327.

Tango in the open air, 20 July

You can watch the dancing, you can listen to the music or you can dance. Courtesy of La Rue du Tango, if you go along to the square in front of Gare Saint Charles at 8pm on Friday you can enjoy an evening of tango with Tangaéro and DJ Benoit le Noir. It's free and if you go to the Rue du Tango website you can take part in the photography competition, with prizes for the best pictures.

Rock Island Festival 28 June to 1 July

The first Rock Island open air festival of electro-pop and DJ mixes. Four nights of live music and DJs in the Fort d'Entrecastaux, walking distance from the Vieux Port. It features Tomorrow's World, Poney Poney Run Run, Digitalism Live, Housse de Racket and much much more - lose yourself in the music.

Tickets must be bought in advance from digitick from 29€ for one night to 99€ for a four night pass.

Fort Entrecasteaux

Festival of Contemporary Music, featuring the work of John Cage

From 9 to 19 May in various venues around Marseille you can hear and see performances of contemporary and experimental music and dance. The festival is organised by the Centre Nationale de Création Musicale (GMEM), and includes a sound installation on the roof of the Friche de la Belle de Mai, concerts to celebrate the centenary of American composer John Cage's birth and lots more. In all 27 events, 70 works, 40 composers, 9 new creations, 9 groups and orchestras, dance, video and a good time to be had by all.

Each event costs 6€ and the programme, with details of locations, is on the GMEM website

Dance Performance at Le Merlan 8 December

As part of the modern dance festival Dansem, Nacera Belaza performs "Le Temps Scellé". With a dance style that is intense but also minimal, she tries to touch the spirit. Nacera Blaza works with her sister and other collaborators to provide a personal, memorable and moving performance. Details are on the Merlan Theatre website.

Nacera Belaza

National Ballet of Marseille 9 to 12 November

Three productions from the National Ballet of Marseille by three invited choreographers: Inverses - exploring alienation by Annabelle Lopez Ochda, Les nuits d'été by Thierry Malandan, based on six melodies for voice and piano by Berlioz, and The Birds by Jean-Christophe Paré, Director of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Danse de Marseille.
It costs 9-12€. You'll have to be quick to get tickets 9 and 10 November are sold out.
Tel. 04 91 327 327.