It is a full 40 years since acclaimed British choreographer Richard Alston created his first piece for the stage. And his latest show featuring four new and recent works, is a fittingly diverse way to celebrate.

His newest work, Shuffle It Right, was inspired by music he listened to as a child.

"My dad had loads of old records by American singer-songwriter Hoagy Carmichael," says Alston, who turns 60 this year.

"He's not as famous as Cole Porter or Gershwin but he's every bit as good. He was an eccentric, larger-than- life character and his songs are immensely dancey."

Shuffle It Right, named after lyrics from Carmichael's Riverboat Shuffle, is a light-hearted, toe-tapping ensemble dance piece.

"Homage is a serious word but I wanted to do a work celebrating Hoagy's music because it is so delightful," says Alston.

Despite suffering damage to his hearing, Alston's love of music is the starting point for every piece he writes.

"The relationship between music and dance is such a powerful one," he says. "The most important thing for me is to be absolutely sure I love the music because, if I'm not moved by it, then what I create won't move the audience. I have to be gripped."

Luckily for his audiences, Alston's musical tastes are quite eclectic.

In contrast to Carmichael's jazz-infused score, Alston sets his next work, Fingerprint, to Bach's Capriccio in B flat major and Toccata in D.

"Bach was a giant composer and prodigal keyboard player," says Alston. "But he also took dance lessons as a young man. I think you can tell from the energy in the music that he had a real feeling for dance."

Bach's Capriccio was dedicated to his "beloved brother" who left to take up a post abroad.

Alston says: "The work is called Fingerprint because it serves as a lasting impression of the close relationship between the two siblings."

In contrast, again, to the gentle tenderness of Fingerprint, Nigredo is a dark, eerie work set to the music of modern British composer, Simon Holt.

"Nigredo comes from the world of alchemy and describes the process of heating metal until it blackens to turn it into gold," says Alston.

"The psychologist Jung believed the moment of nigredo was the equivalent of digging into the depths of your psyche, stripping everything away until you are in complete despair, out of which comes something stronger and better."

Alston's Nigredo culminates in a lone man lying on stage in a dim streak of light while Holt's score fades out into a single repeated note.

To complete his programme, Alston presents a work by his protege and company dancer, Martin Lawrence.

"Set to the music of Japanese composer Ayuo, Brink takes tango nueva to the brink of the 21st Century," says Alston. "It's not the kind of sultry, rose-in-the-mouth tango we see so much of. This is edgy, sharp and athletic."

Despite enjoying pioneering the work of up-and-coming choreographers, Alston has no plans to retire.

"I'm still absolutely in love with the sheer exhilaration of dance," he says. "Some people feel the need to be on stage. My real need is to create.

"If I don't choreograph, I get very grumpy and frustrated. I've been really lucky to be doing this for so long and I can't imagine a time when I won't want to do it any more."

  • 8pm, £6-£15, 01273 709709