Press Release: Company of Elders presents Art of Age, 18 & 19 March

[Jan McNulty]

Company of Elders                                     

Art of Age

Friday 18 & Saturday 19 March

Performances: 6pm

Tickets: £12 (£6 concessions) 

Ticket Office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com

 

Company of Elders, Sadler’s Wells’ inspirational resident over-60s performance company, presents Art of Age, a mixed bill of new work in the Lilian Baylis Studio on Friday 18 & Saturday 19 March 2016.

 

Choreography by Seeta Patel, Mafalda Deville and Jade Shaw showcases the diverse skills of the company, with the performance featuring influences of bharatanatyam, contemporary dance and parkour. 

 

In Fragments, Not Forgotten, Seeta Patel uses the words of the company to create a delicate work of haunting moments and fleeting images; Spring is choreographed by Mafalda Deville to Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring; and Jade Shaw creates a piece that fuses hip hop with the principles and philosophy of parkour.

 

The programme also includes a solo work performed by Seeta Patel which illustrates the link between her own practice and the choreography she has created for the Company of Elders as well as two dance films from Pavilion Dance South West’s Joie de Vivre 2015 Short Film Competition.

 

Established in 1989, the Company of Elders has performed at locations ranging from The Houses of Parliament, National Theatre and Duckie Cabaret Club to foreign tours spanning Russia, Holland, Austria, Portugal, and the Venice Biennale. In 2009 (rebroadcast in 2012) the company was the subject of a BBC1 Imagine documentary, Imagine…Save The Last Dance.

 

In September 2014 the Company of Elders hosted the Elixir Festival at Sadler’s Wells, a four day festival which celebrated lifelong creativity and the contribution of older artists. 

 

The company’s 21 members meet weekly throughout the year at Sadler’s Wells and their performances have garnered global acclaim. Among the international choreographers they have worked with are Matthew Bourne's New Adventures, Hofesh Shechter Company, Wayne McGregor | Random Dance, Jasmin Vardimon Company, BirdGang, Luca Silvestrini and Clara Andermatt.

 

Sadler’s Wells Artistic Director and Chief Executive Alistair Spalding said: “The Company of Elders is truly inspirational in the scale and ambition of its performances and the calibre of the choreographers who create work for the company is testament to the dedication and skill of all its members.”

 

 

NOTES TO EDITORS:

 

ABOUT SADLER’S WELLS
Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance house, committed to producing, commissioning and presenting new works and to bringing the best international and UK dance to London and worldwide audiences. Under the Artistic Directorship of Alistair Spalding, the theatre’s acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap. 

 

Since 2005, it has helped to bring over 100 new dance works to the stage and its award-winning commissions and collaborative productions regularly tour internationally. Sadler’s Wells supports 16 Associate Artists, three Resident Companies, an Associate Company and two International Associate Companies. It also nurtures the next generation of talent through its New Wave Associates and Summer University programmes, its Wild Card initiative and hosting of the National Youth Dance Company.

 

Located in Islington, north London, the current theatre is the sixth to have stood on the site since it was first built by Richard Sadler in 1683. The venue has played an illustrious role in the history of theatre ever since, with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Opera all having started at Sadler’s Wells. Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation and currently receives approximately 10% of its revenue from Arts Council England.