Aztec Dances was commissioned by Christopher Orton, with the assistance of the BBC Performing Arts Fund. The first performance was given by Christopher Orton (recorder) and Magdalena Nasidlak (piano) at a concert in the Manchester Midday Concerts series at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, in March 2010.

The version for flute and piano was premiered by Wissam Boustany (Flute) and Aleksander Szram (Piano) at St James’s Church, Piccadilly, on Thursday 19 May 2011.