The Autumn 2019 Season at Sadler’s Wells
The Autumn 2019 Season at Sadler’s Wells in detail:
Boris Charmatz TATE MODERN
10000 Gestures
Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 June
Tickets: £20
In 2017, French choreographer and agitateur Boris Charmatz led his audience out to the top of a multi-storey car park in east London for an adventurous dance performance at the edge of the city. Two years before that, Charmatz asked us to imagine Tate Modern as a museum for dance.
For his latest project, Charmatz creates an ephemeral piece composed of the literal 10,000 gestures of the title, performed as a torrent of unrepeated movements, which are executed and then dismissed, questioning the nature of dance’s relationship to time.
There will be an open lecture-demonstration and free live performances. Full details can be found at sadlerswells.com/10000gestures
A Sadler’s Wells co-production, presented by Tate Modern and Sadler’s Wells
Press night: Saturday 22 June at 8pm
Press contact: Kitty Malton on 020 7887 8730 or kitty.malton@tate.org.uk
Young Associates
Together, not the same WORLD PREMIERE
Wednesday 17 July
Tickets: £12 (£6 concessions)
In October 2018, the Young Associates introduced their refreshing voices at sell-out performances in the Lilian Baylis Studio. Under the artistic guidance of New Wave Associate Hetain Patel, Anthony Matsena, Wilhelmina Ojanen, Ruby Portus and Christopher Thomas create an ambitious evening of new works, disrupting the traditional format of a mixed bill of dance.
For their debut on the Sadler’s Wells stage, the Young Associates collaborate with a team of young artists from a range of disciplines.
Press night: Wednesday 17 July at 7:30pm
Press contact: Caroline Ansdell on 020 7863 8125 or caroline.ansdell@sadlerswells.com
National Youth Dance Company/ Botis Seva
MADHEAD
Friday 19 July
Tickets: £12 (£6 concessions)
Closing their national tour at Sadler’s Wells, 38 of England’s best young dancers draw upon the robust, exuberant and impulsive energy of youth culture to embrace that as its identity. Employing 2018/2019 Guest Artistic Director Botis Seva’s signature style fusing contemporary dance, physical theatre and hip hop, NYDC presents its new work, MADHEAD, choreographed by Seva.
NYDC has established a reputation for producing high-quality, critically acclaimed productions by leading choreographers including Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Sharon Eyal, Damien Jalet, Michael Keegan-Dolan, Akram Khan and Jasmin Vardimon.
Press night: Friday 19 July at 7:30pm
Press contact: Chelsea Robinson on 020 7863 8114 or chelsea.robinson@sadlerswells.com
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Wednesday 4 September – Saturday 14 September
Tickets: £15 – £75
Following its recent 60th anniversary, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns with a series of new and exciting works alongside modern classics in three mixed programmes, demonstrating the unparalleled artistry that has defined the company since 1958.
Alvin Ailey’s masterpiece, and the company’s signature piece, closes each one of its shows. Performed as a prayer, Revelations veers from grief to elation as it explores African-American cultural heritage and spirituality to an emotional score of gospel music and blues.
Press contact: Charlotte Constable on 020 7863 8122 or charlotte.constable@sadlerswells.com
Programme A: Lazarus / Revelations
Wednesday 4, Friday 6, Sunday 8, Saturday 14 & Saturday 7 September
“The Basquiat of the US contemporary dance scene” (Sunday Times), Rennie Harris thrilled audiences with the UK premiere of Exodus at Sadler’s Wells in 2015.
Inspired by the life and legacy of the company’s founder, Harris’ Lazarus – the first two-act ballet in Ailey’s history – uses his street dance language set to an eclectic score that encompasses Nina Simone, original music and the voice of Ailey himself.
Press night: Wednesday 4 September at 7:30pm
Programme B: EN / The Call / Juba / Revelations
Thursday 5, Saturday 7, Wednesday 11 & Friday 13 September & Sunday 8 September
In a new production of Juba, his first work for the company, Ailey’s Artistic Director Robert Battle sets folk traditions in a modern world. Ronald K. Brown offers up his love letter to Ailey set to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, the Mary Lou Williams Trio and Asase Yaa Entertainment Group in The Call. And the prolific Jessica Lang’s 100th ballet, EN, explores fate, destiny and the metaphor of the circle.
Press night: Thursday 5 September at 7:30pm
Programme C: New Moultrie / Members Don’t Get Weary / Ella / Revelations
Tuesday 10, Thursday 12 & Saturday 14 September
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater dancer and rising-star choreographer Jamar Roberts takes an abstract look into the notion of “having the blues” in Members Don’t Get Weary, set to the music of John Coltrane. Artistic Director Robert Battle matches the legendary Ella Fitzgerald’s Airmail Special to a dizzyingly fast duet in Ella. This programme also includes new work from multi-faceted choreographer Darrell Grand Moultrie.
Press night: Tuesday 10 September at 7:30pm
Selladoor THE PEACOCK
Fame The Musical
Wednesday 11 September – Saturday 19 October
Tickets £18 – £65
Based on the 1980 phenomenal pop culture film, Fame The Musical is the international smash hit sensation following the lives of students at New York’s High School for the Performing Arts as they tackle life, love and legwarmers in their eternal search for stardom.
Starring Keith Jack with Mica Paris and Jorgie Porter, this much-loved classic features the Academy Award-winning title song and an outstanding cast of dancers, singers, musicians and actors.
Age guidance: 12+
Press night: Thursday 12 September at 7:30pm
Press contact: Rebecca Martin on 0207 299 4313 or rebecca.martin@iamarketing.co.uk
English National Ballet
Akram Khan’s Giselle
Wednesday 18 – Saturday 28 September
Tickets: £15 – £75
Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Akram Khan’s reimagination of the archetypal romantic ballet for English National Ballet is fast earning a reputation as a modern masterpiece. Khan’s version sees the action moved to a condemned garment factory, where a community of migrant workers serve at the mercy of the factory’s landlords. The ghostly figures of their victims form a vengeful and awe-inspiring cabal within Academy Award-winning Tim Yip’s towering set.
Both familiar and innovative, Vincenzo Lamagna’s adaptation of the original Adolphe Adam’s score is performed live by English National Ballet Philharmonic.
Akram Khan is a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist
English National Ballet is a Sadler’s Wells Associate Company
Akram Khan’s Giselle is a co-production between English National Ballet, Manchester International Festival, and Sadler’s Wells
Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England
Press night: Wednesday 18 September at 7:30pm
Press contact: Alice Gibson on 020 7590 2932 or alice.gibson@ballet.org.uk
Breakin’ Convention Presents LILIAN BAYLIS STUDIO
Friday 27 & Saturday 28 September
Tickets: £15 – £17
After 15 years of sell-out festival success, Sadler’s Wells’ hip hop dance theatre powerhouse launched its latest initiative in 2018: Breakin’ Convention Presents. Curated by Associate Artist Jonzi D, Breakin’ Convention Presents provides a platform for the finest hip hop theatre-makers to showcase full-length works, as well as welcoming creations by contemporary choreographers working with street dance forms.
Breakin’ Convention Presents opened with Pierre Rigal’s acclaimed Scandale in autumn 2018. 2019 programme to be announced.
Age guidance: 10+
Press night: Friday 27 September at 8pm
Press contact: Charlotte Constable on 020 7863 8122 or charlotte.constable@sadlerswells.com
Dada Masilo
Giselle
Friday 4 & Saturday 5 October
Tickets: £15 – £45
Having reimagined Swan Lake and Carmen, South African choreographer Dada Masilo reinvents the classic Giselle by placing the definitive Romantic heroine in South Africa. Deserted by her lover, Giselle, danced by Masilo herself, is guided by a traditional healer, in a feminist take on the classical ballet.
Featuring a contemporary score by South African composer Philip Miller, which pays homage to the original Adolphe Adam as well as traditional Tswana dance styles, Masilo’s Giselle is a fearless exploration of betrayal and revenge.
A Sadler’s Wells co-production
The Monument Trust supports new commissions at Sadler’s Wells
Press Night: Friday 4 October at 7:30pm
Press contact: Simon Harper for Dance Consortium on 07810 863 408 or simonharperpr@gmail.com
FranceDance UK at Sadler’s Wells
This autumn, as part of the Institut Français’ FranceDance UK festival, Sadler’s Wells surveys the French contemporary dance scene with an array of productions.
Ballet Preljocaj
La Fresque UK PREMIERE
Monday 30 September – Wednesday 2 October
Tickets: £15 – £50
Ballet Preljocaj was last at Sadler’s Wells seven years ago with daring contemporary choreographer Angelin Preljocaj‘s interpretation of Snow White. This year, continuing the theme of fairy tales, the company explores the traditional Chinese tale La Fresque or ‘The painting on the wall’.
The work features a haunting set by Preljocaj’s regular collaborator Constance Guisset, music from Nicolas Godin, co-founder of the musical duo Air, and costumes by Azzedine Alaïa.
Press night: Monday 30 September at 7:30pm
Press contact: Chelsea Robinson on 020 7863 8114 or chelsea.robinson@sadlerswells.com
Dance Umbrella: Gisèle Vienne
Crowd UK PREMIERE
Tuesday 8 & Wednesday 9 October
Tickets: £20 – £25
Opening Dance Umbrella 2019 is Gisèle Vienne with her debut production at Sadler’s Wells. Crowd delves deep into the collective euphoria of a committed party crowd and showcases the liquid physicality of the club-scene, as Vienne sets 15 mud-splattered individuals in the midst of a rave.
Setting the scene is a DJ set from regular collaborator, composer Peter Rehberg, and dramaturgy from writer Dennis Cooper. Vienne’s background covers music, object theatre and philosophy.
Free post-show talk: Tuesday 8 October
Press night: Tuesday 8 October at 7:30pm
Press contact: Laura Myers on 07896 548 180 or laura@thecornershoppr.com
Danse Élargie: Dance Expanded UK PREMIERE
Friday 11 & Saturday 12 October
Tickets: £20 – £25
Started in 2010 by French choreographer Boris Charmatz, theatre director Emmanuel Demarcy Mota and Fondation d’entreprise Hermès, the competition Danse Élargie takes place over two days at Paris’ Théâtre de la Ville. To enter, a work must include at least three performers and come in under 10 minutes.
Sadler’s Wells hosts three winners, presenting Elsa Chêne’s sinister MUR/MER, the cinematic Family Honour from Kwame Asafo-Adjei and Ousmane Sy’s female-driven Queen Blood, alongside a pick of the finalists including 2016’s winner, Marine Brutti with (LA) HORDE.
Free post-show talk: Friday 11 October
Press night: Friday 11 October at 7:30pm
Press contact: Chelsea Robinson on 020 7863 8114 or chelsea.robinson@sadlerswells.com
Emanuel Gat Dance
WORKS
Monday 11 & Tuesday 12 November
Tickets: £20 – £25
WORKS is made up of six pieces, each dedicated to a different composer, including Gat himself, but it is the dancers that influence the shape of the performance.
Gat moves the dancers through the musical landscape in differing formations and groupings, providing them with the opportunity to explore their responses inclusively. Born in Israel and based in France, Gat is a double Bessie Award-winning choreographer who trained as a conductor before moving his attention to dance.
Free post-show talk: Monday 11 November
Press night: Monday 11 November at 7:30pm
Press contact: Chelsea Robinson on 020 7863 8114 or chelsea.robinson@sadlerswells.com
Russell Maliphant Dance Company
Silent Lines
Friday 18 & Saturday 19 October
Tickets: £15 – £50
Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist and two-time Olivier Award-winner Russell Maliphant has long been fascinated by the human body.
For his new work, he delves into his research and studies in anatomy and biomechanics. Drawing on a variety of movement disciplines, and setting them within a landscape of animated video projection from video and light artist Panagiotis Tomaras, Maliphant and his company of dancers explore the poetry of connections between our internal and external worlds, and how they affect the very act of movement.
Russell Maliphant is a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist
A Sadler’s Wells co-production
The Monument Trust supports new commissions at Sadler’s Wells
Press night: Friday 18 October at 7:30pm
Press contact: Tom McGarva on 0161 278 1452 or tom@todayissundae.co.uk
Natalia Osipova
Pure Dance
Tuesday 22 – Saturday 26 October
Tickets: £15 – £85
After performances in New York and Lyon, Natalia Osipova’s Pure Dance returns.
The Royal Ballet principal dances a handpicked programme of classical and contemporary works, including Antony Tudor’s The Leaves are Fading and Roy Assaf’s newly extended Six Years Later, alongside three pieces that have been specially commissioned for this programme: duets by Alexei Ratmansky and Iván Pérez, and a solo by Yuka Oishi.
Osipova is joined on stage by American Ballet Theatre principal David Hallberg, who also performs a specially commissioned solo by Kim Brandstrup.
A Sadler’s Wells 20th Anniversary Commission
A Sadler’s Wells Production
Co-produced with New York City Center
Press night: Wednesday 23 October at 7:30pm
Press contact: Charlotte Constable on 020 7863 8122 or charlotte.constable@sadlerswells.com
ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company THE PEACOCK
Some Like It Hip Hop
Wednesday 23 October – Saturday 9 November
Tickets: £18 – £55
ZooNation and Kate Prince’s smash-hit sensation Some Like It Hip Hop thrilled audiences and critics when it opened in 2011, prompting five-star reviews and standing ovations with its infectious “wit, heart and magnificent energy” (The Independent).
With a nod to Billy Wilder’s Some Like It Hot and Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, it tells a comical tale of love, mistaken identity and revolution, all played out in ZooNation’s trademark style.
Kate Prince is a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist
Press night: Thursday 24 October at 7:30pm
Press contact: Caroline Ansdell on 0207 863 8125 or caroline.ansdell@sadlerswells.com
Dance Umbrella: Georgia Vardarou LILIAN BAYLIS STUDIO
Why should it be more desirable for green fire balls to exist than not? WORLD PREMIERE
Wednesday 23 & Thursday 24 October
Tickets: £17
Georgia Vardarou has been nominated by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker as her chosen ‘choreographer of the future’ as part of Dance Umbrella’s Four by Four campaign, aiming to build a new commissions fund for the next generation of dance talent.
Vardarou plays with the parameters of how we perceive the meaning of dance in a startling solo, drawing on her highly personal physical language. A collaboration with visual artist David Bergé, the piece intricately overlaps image and movement, inviting a range of narrative interpretations.
Press night: Wednesday 23 October at 8pm
Press contact: Laura Myers on 07896 548 180 or laura@thecornershoppr.com
Birmingham Royal Ballet
Tuesday 29 October – Saturday 2 November
Tickets: £15 – £65
As it embarks on an exciting new chapter, Birmingham Royal Ballet brings two productions to Sadler’s Wells. Sharing the bill with Birmingham Royal Ballet in one of the two shows is Ballet Black – the multi-award-winning company dedicated to increasing diversity in ballet. The companies join forces to present a groundbreaking mixed bill. Later in the week, Birmingham Royal Ballet performs one of the most celebrated ballets of the Romantic era, Giselle.
Mixed Programme
Tuesday 29 & Wednesday 30 October
In a thrilling first-time collaboration, Birmingham Royal Ballet shares the bill with Ballet Black who perform Cathy Marston’s National Dance Award-winning The Suit. The programme also features Twyla Tharp’s tribute to Old Blue Eyes, Nine Sinatra Songs and a new work from Jack Lister, commissioned as part of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s groundbreaking Ballet Now initiative.
Press night: Tuesday 29 October at 7:30pm
Press contact: Lauren Morton on 0121 245 3505 or laurenmorton@brb.org.uk
Giselle
Friday 1 & Saturday 2 November
David Bintley and Galina Samsova’s stunning production of Giselle offers audiences the opportunity to witness a particularly exquisite example of this classic ballet, staying true to its 19th century origins and Marius Petipa’s original steps. Accompanied by the Adolphe Adam score, performed live by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Giselle tells the story of a trusting girl driven to madness and death by heartbreak, yet she seeks redemption for the man who deceived her, even from beyond the grave.
Press night: Friday 1 November at 7:30pm
Press contact: Lauren Morton on 0121 245 3505 or laurenmorton@brb.org.uk
Rambert2
Mixed Bill, including works by Andrea Miller and Jermaine Spivey
Monday 4 & Tuesday 5 November
Tickets: £15 – £50
Rambert2 selects its dancers for their technical virtuosity and raw energy, scouring the globe each year to seek out the next generation of contemporary dance talent.
This year’s ensemble performs work by two rising stars of the US dance scene: Andrea Miller, the first choreographer to be named artist-in-residence at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Jermaine Spivey, the award-winning dancer from Crystal Pite’s company Kidd Pivot.
The Monument Trust supports new commissions at Sadler’s Wells
Press night: Monday 4 November at 7:30pm
Press contact: Alexandra Desvignes on 020 8630 0612 or
alexandra.desvignes@rambert.org.uk
Rambert
Rambert Event
Thursday 7 – Saturday 9 November
Tickets: £15 – £55
Master of improvisation Merce Cunningham devised his revolutionary Event format to combine dance, music and design in a way that was unique to each location and performance. Commemorating the centenary of Cunningham’s birth, Rambert creates its own bespoke Event.
Rambert Event includes extracts from different Cunningham works, specially remixed for each performance. Radiohead’s Philip Selway composes and performs the music live, whilst designs are based on the Cage paintings by German contemporary artist Gerhard Richter.
Press night: Thursday 7 November at 7:30pm
Press contact: Alexandra Desvignes on 020 8630 0612 or
alexandra.desvignes@rambert.org.uk
Dorrance Dance
Myelination and other works
Thursday 14 – Saturday 16 November
Tickets: £15 – £45
Transforming the world of tap dance, Michelle Dorrance has dedicated her work to exploring the rich traditions and breaking new boundaries of America’s original dance-form. In a diverse triple bill, her company expands the idea of what tap dance can be.
In the Bessie Award-winning Three to One, Dorrance places herself between two barefoot contemporary dancers, while in Jungle Blues lively humour is set to the New Orleans swagger of Grammy Award-winning Branford Marsalis. For Myelination, inspiration comes from deep inside, as electrical transmissions between nerve cells are sped up by a biological phenomenon, creating an energetic ensemble work featuring original live music.
Press night: Thursday 14 November at 7:30pm
Press contact: Charlotte Constable on 020 7863 8122 or charlotte.constable@sadlerswells.com
Wild Card: Fernanda Muñoz-Newsome LILIAN BAYLIS STUDIO
Thursday 14 & Friday 15 November UK PREMIERE
Tickets: £17
British-Chilean choreographer and dance artist Fernanda Muñoz-Newsome curates a bespoke programme as part of the popular Wild Card series – showcasing unique evenings designed by a new generation of dance-makers.
Through a shared experience of space, Muñoz-Newsome creates an evening looking at the implicit gendering that often goes unnoticed, stimulating our senses. In an intimate setting choreographers, musicians and artists collaborate, creating new situations.
Press night: Friday 15 November at 8pm
Press contact: Tess Shennan on 0207 863 8112 or tess.shennan@sadlerswells.com
Acosta Danza
Evolution
Monday 18 – Saturday 23 November
Tickets: £15 – £85
The vibrant Cuban company returns to Sadler’s Wells with a second programme of ballet and contemporary works including Paysage, Soudain, la nuit by visionary Swedish choreographer Pontus Lidberg; the iconic Rooster, choreographed by Christopher Bruce to music by the Rolling Stones; and new work Satori by breakthrough Cuban choreographer Raul Reinoso.
The evening also includes Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s Faun, inspired by Vaslav Nijinsky’s L’après midi d’un faune, set to fellow Associate Artist Nitin Sawhney’s interpretation of Debussy’s original composition.
Carlos Acosta makes a guest appearance, dancing in Rooster.
A Sadler’s Wells and Valid Productions Production
Acosta Danza is a Sadler’s Wells Associate Company
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Nitin Sawhney are Sadler’s Wells Associate Artists
The Monument Trust supports new commissions at Sadler’s Wells
Press night: Tuesday 19 November at 7:30pm
Press contact: Chelsea Robinson on 020 7863 8114 or chelsea.robinson@sadlerswells.com
Birmingham Repertory Theatre THE PEACOCK
The Snowman™
Thursday 21 November – Sunday 5 January 2020
Tickets: £18 – £55, Family Tickets available
The Snowman has whisked generations of children off to a wintery wonderland for a festive adventure year on year. Now the live stage show journeys back to The Peacock to charm both young and old for its 22nd consecutive year. Based on the much-loved film and book, the stage adaptation of The Snowman features exquisite dancing, magic and live music, including the unforgettable classic Walking in the Air.
Suitable for all ages
Press performance: Saturday 23 November at 11am
Press contact: Tess Shennan on 0207 863 8112 or tess.shennan@sadlerswells.com
Darbar Festival 2019 LILIAN BAYLIS STUDIO & SADLER’S WELLS THEATRE
Saturday 23 – Tuesday 26 November
Tickets £15 – £65
In a programme spanning the Barbican and Sadler’s Wells, Darbar Festival brings the very best of classical Indian music and dance to London.
Previous years have seen the likes of “Indian-dance royalty” (Financial Times) Sujata Mohapatra perform at Sadler’s Wells. For 2019’s festival, Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Akram Khan reprises his role as dance curator alongside acclaimed choreographer, performer and rehearsal director Mavin Khoo as assistant dance curator, assembling an eclectic programme of performances and workshops.
Performers this year include leading bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer and vocalist Swapnasundari, and award-winning odissi dancer Madhavi Mudgal.
Akram Khan is a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist
Press night: Saturday 23, Sunday 24, Monday 25 & Tuesday 26 November at 7:30pm
Press contact: Charlotte Constable on 020 7863 8122 or charlotte.constable@sadlerswells.com
Joe Moran / Dance Art Foundation LILIAN BAYLIS STUDIO
Arrangement
Thursday 28 & Friday 29 November
Tickets: £17
British-Irish choreographer Joe Moran offers a bold and refreshing examination of gender, masculinity and the male body in Arrangement. Six exceptional male dancers tackle complex choreography, full-bodied dancing and sculptural composition, foregrounding difference and individuality in this bold and arresting work.
Free post-show talk: Thursday 28 November
Press night: Friday 29 November at 8pm
Press contact: Tess Shennan on 0207 863 8112 or tess.shennan@sadlerswells.com
New Adventures
Matthew Bourne’s Production of The Red Shoes
Tuesday 3 December 2019 – Sunday 19 January 2020
Tickets: £15 – £75
Matthew Bourne’s triumphant adaptation of the legendary film returns to London, having won two Olivier Awards and dazzled audiences across the UK and the USA.
Victoria Page lives to dance but her ambitions become a battleground between the two men who inspire her passion. Set to the achingly romantic music of golden-age Hollywood composer Bernard Herrmann, The Red Shoes is orchestrated by Terry Davies and played live by the New Adventures Orchestra, with cinematic designs by Lez Brotherston, lighting by Paul Constable, sound by Paul Groothuis and projection from Duncan McLean.
Matthew Bourne is a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist
Press night: Thursday 12 December at 7:30pm
Press contact: Amy Barder or Simon Raw at Raw PR on 020 3829 0930 or amy@rawpr.co.uk / simon@rawpr.co.uk
Arthur Pita LILIAN BAYLIS STUDIO
The Little Match Girl
Wednesday 11 – Sunday 29 December
Tickets: £6 – £18
Director and choreographer Arthur Pita has a reputation for adopting a surreal take on storytelling. Following his Björk Ballet, performed by San Francisco Ballet this summer, his magical dance theatre show The Little Match Girl makes a welcome return for Christmas.
Our unlikely heroine is an impoverished street girl, with just one final match to keep her warm on a cold Christmas Eve. Beautifully recreated through dance, song and Frank Moon’s live atmospheric music, The Little Match Girl is a timeless fable about kindness and helping others.
