Press Release: New Shows for Spring/Summer 2021 at Sadler’s Wells

[Jan McNulty]

Press Release: Thursday 25 March 2021 
 
New Shows for Spring/Summer 2021 at Sadler’s Wells 

We are thrilled to be able to welcome audiences back to Sadler’s Wells from 17 May and we are delighted to announce that seven productions are scheduled between May and the start of September. 

Joining the previously announced and already on sale Singin’ in the Rain are performances from our Associate Company English National Ballet, New Wave Associate Alexander Whitley, Rambert, Northern Ballet, Sadler’s Wells Breakin’ Convention and National Youth Dance Company (run by Sadler’s Wells). 

This is an exciting and very welcome step in our journey towards recovery. Full reopening is critical to our long-term survival and we are hopeful that we will be able to open completely, as set out in the UK Government’s roadmap, later this summer. 

The first six productions announced today will have social distancing measures in place. Singin’ in the Rain is on sale without social distancing, following the UK Government’s roadmap. All performances and the social distancing measures are in line with current UK Government guidance. We will continue to monitor this guidance and keep audiences informed if any changes to the programme or social distancing have to be made. Covid-19 safety information can be accessed via the website here. 

Tickets for all newly announced events are on public sale from Thursday 8 April at 10am via www.sadlerswells.com and 020 7863 8000. Booking opens to members from Tuesday 6 April at 10am.  



English National Ballet                                                                WORLD PREMIERE 
Reunion 
Monday 17 - Sunday 30 May 2021 
Tickets: £15 - £65 
 
English National Ballet presents five works by renowned choreographers and rising talents. Created and released as films as part of ENB’s critically acclaimed Digital Season in late 2020, these original pieces are performed live on stage for the first time at Sadler’s Wells.    
 
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui reimagines Laid in Earth as a “torn apart” quartet. The piece is set to Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas sung live by mezzo soprano Flora McIntosh, as well as new electronic music composed by Olga Wojciechowska. Russell Maliphant creates ever shifting choreography and uses light as an integral partner in the creative process, collaborating with video artist Panagiotis Tomaras and sound designer Dana Fouras. Yuri Possokhov’s Senseless Kindness is based on Vasily Grossman’s great novel, Life and Fate, about a Russian family caught in the Second World War and is set to Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No1. ENB Associate Choreographer Stina Quagebeur’s Take Five Blues was inspired by the way in which contemporary jazz and classical music intertwine, and pushes past classical ballet's rules and boundaries into new territories. Arielle Smith’s Jolly Folly is fast-paced and full of energy, driven by the Klazz Brothers’ Latin infused covers of Tchaikovsky, Strauss and Mozart.   
 
The music for Laid in Earth and Senseless Kindness is performed live by musicians of English National Ballet Philharmonic.   
 
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Russell Maliphant are Sadler’s Wells Associate Artists 
English National Ballet is a Sadler’s Wells Associate Company 
 

Alexander Whitley Dance Company                       
Overflow   
Friday 21 May - Saturday 22 May 2021 
Tickets: £20 - £25  
 
Sadler’s Wells New Wave Associate Alexander Whitley has developed a reputation for his bold, interdisciplinary approach, producing innovative and thought-provoking productions, such as his solar-physics inspired 8 Minutes, and is known for his groundbreaking use of digital technology. His new work asks what it means to be human in the shadow of big data. Now more than ever, our lives are influenced by unseen algorithms and surveillance technologies, with filter bubbles, feedback loops and fake news having a profound impact on individual behaviour and political events. Created before the Covid-19 pandemic, but with its London premiere delayed until now, Overflow considers how our desires, fantasies and vulnerabilities are powerfully influenced by social platforms, exploring what lurks beneath our compulsions to check, share and like. 
 
Overflow features a dazzling kinetic light sculpture, created by Children of the Light and programmed by creative technologists Luca Biada, which, along with lighting by Guy Hoare, define spaces of connection and isolation for Whitley’s intricate choreography. Costumes and 3D printed masks designed by fashion artist Ana Rajcevic are inspired by facial recognition technology and music producer Rival Consoles’ exhilarating score incorporates samples from digital platforms and devices, such as the data flowing from the modem of his smartphone as he scrolled through Instagram.   
 
Alexander Whitley is a Sadler’s Wells New Wave Associate  
Overflow is a Sadler’s Wells co-commission 
 

 
Rambert   
Draw From Within  
Wednesday 2 - Saturday 5 June 2021 
Tickets: £15 - £55 
 
Beginning life in 2020 as a live digital broadcast, Draw from Within opened to much acclaim, and has now been reworked to be performed on stage to a live audience in a London Premiere. Rambert’s dancers move through vivid, theatrical worlds of dreams and nightmares.

 

Choreographed by Wim Vandekeybus, Draw From Within takes inspiration from current times where we seek physical interaction.   
 

 Northern Ballet 
Dangerous Liaisons and Contemporary Cuts 2021                   
Tuesday 8 - Saturday 12 June 2021 
Tickets: £15 - £65 

Northern Ballet presents the London premiere of Dangerous Liaisons, choreographed by David Nixon. The story of sexual power, cruelty and deceit is set to Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, played live by Northern Ballet Sinfonia.   

 

Contemporary Cuts presents a series of excerpts including Kenneth Tindall’s new work States of Mind, inspired by the turbulence of 2020, as well as Amaury Lebrun’s For An Instant. Also included is Little Monsters by Demis Volpi set to music by Elvis Presley, plus excerpts from Jonathan Watkins’ 1984 and Cathy Marston’s Jane Eyre. 
 
 
Sadler’s Wells Breakin’ Convention 
Breakin’ Convention 2021 
Thursday 1 - Sunday 4 July 2021 
Tickets: £15 - £45 
 
Sadler’s Wells Breakin’ Convention, the world's biggest festival of hip hop dance, returns for its 18th year. Curated and hosted by UK hip hop pioneer and Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Jonzi D, exceptional performances showcase the best of international and UK talent. 

 

The festival is comprised of two programmes: Breakin’ Convention Presents: Compagnie Niya - Gueules Noire on Thursday and Friday, in which choreographer Rachid Hedli pays a heartfelt tribute to the migrant workers of the The Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin, including his father. Retracing life in the mines, Cie Niya’s superior breaking and popping skills present images of solidarity, struggle and fraternity. On Saturday and Sunday, Breakin’ Convention: Breakout Convention sees a range of performances featuring world champion b-boy crews alongside cutting-edge street dance companies. Further details are to be confirmed.  
 
Jonzi D is a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist 
 
 
National Youth Dance Company / Alesandra Seutin  
Speak Volumes               
Saturday 24 July 2021 
Tickets: £10 - £15 
 
For its latest staged work, National Youth Dance Company (NYDC) collaborates with internationally renowned choreographer Alesandra Seutin. 29 outstanding young dancers present a new contemporary work, exploring the relationship between movement, voice and music. NYDC has established a reputation for producing high-quality, critically acclaimed productions by leading choreographers including Botis Seva, Russell Maliphant, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Sharon Eyal, Damien Jalet, Michael Keegan-Dolan, Akram Khan and Jasmin Vardimon. 
 
NYDC is jointly funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Education from National Lottery and Government funds.  
 
Barclays is the Associate Partner of the National Youth Dance Company. 
 
 
Singin' in the Rain  
Friday 30 July – Sunday 5 September 2021 
Tickets: £15 - £100 
 
Song-and-dance legend Adam Cooper reprises the iconic role made so famous by Gene Kelly, in Jonathan Church’s critically acclaimed production of Singin’ in the Rain. A smash-hit at Chichester Festival Theatre and in the West End, this irresistible show returns to London to make a summer splash. 
 
Andrew Wright’s high-energy choreography and Simon Higlett’s sumptuous set design (including over 14,000 litres of water on stage every night) combine with the charm, romance and wit of one of the world’s best-loved films. Singin’ in the Rain features the glorious MGM score including Good Morning, Make ‘em Laugh, Moses Supposes and of course, Singin’ in the Rain. 
 
 

 

Dates	Show
Monday 17 - Sunday 30 May 2021	English National Ballet               Reunion
Friday 21 & Saturday 22 May 2021	Alexander Whitley Dance Company    Overflow
Wednesday 2 - Saturday 5 June 2021	Rambert         Draw From Within
Tuesday 8 - Saturday 12 June 2021	Northern Ballet  Dangerous Liaisons and Contemporary Cuts 2021
Thursday 1 - Sunday 4 July 2021	Breakin’ Convention  Breakin’ Convention 2021
Saturday 24 July 2021	National Youth Dance Company / Alesandra Seutin      Speak Volumes
Friday 30 July – Sunday 5 September 2021	Singin' in the Rain

NOTES TO EDITORS 

Covid Safety 
In order to help artists, audiences and staff members to feel safe and enjoy these performances, Sadler’s Wells has introduced a series of new safety measures and is closely following all UK Government guidance in presenting these events. Ticket bookers will be sent full information about all coronavirus safety measures in advance of the performance, so that they may plan accordingly and feel as secure as possible during their visit. These guidelines are also available on Sadler’s Wells’ website via the following link. If these performances are unable to be presented due to changes to the UK Government’s coronavirus restrictions, customers will be contacted as soon as possible and given the option to receive a full refund. Sadler's Wells, alongside all companies performing in upcoming events, have also followed recommended UK Government protocols in order ensure the safety of all artists and crew involved by creating performances in a covid-secure environment.  

About Sadler’s Wells 
Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance organisation, committed to producing, commissioning and presenting new works and to bringing the best domestic and international dance to UK 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. 

Audiences of over half a million come to Sadler’s Wells’ three London theatres each year, with many more enjoying its touring productions at venues across the UK and around the world and accessing its content through its Digital Stage. Sadler's Wells commissions, produces and presents more dance than any other theatre in the world, embracing the popular and the unknown. Since 2005, it has helped to bring over 180 new dance works to the stage, many of them involving its 16 Associate Artists, three Resident Companies and four Associate Companies – the most exciting talents working in dance today. 

Sadler’s Wells’ own productions have toured to some of the most prestigious theatres and festivals around the world, such as the Sydney Opera House, the Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival in New York, and the National Centre for Performing Arts in Beijing. 

Sadler’s Wells also nurtures the next generation of talent through a range of artist development initiatives including its New Wave Associates programmes, its Wild Card initiative and the National Youth Dance Company. A further 30,000 individuals take part in its learning and engagement programmes each year. 

During the Covid-19 crisis, Sadler’s Wells has continued to connect with global audiences through its Digital Stage, an online programme of performances and workshops for people to watch at home. Since 27 March 2020, the programme has been enjoyed by audiences all over the world, generating over 5 million video views globally. 

On 17 May 2021, live dance returns to Sadler’s Wells, with performances for socially distanced audiences. 

Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation and currently receives approximately 10% of its revenue from Arts Council England. www.sadlerswells.com 

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