Press release: Eleesha Drennan Dance's All The Time In The World 31 March & 1 April

[Jan McNulty]

Eleesha Drennan Dance  All The Time In The World Lilian Baylis Studio, EC1R 4TN Thursday 31 March & Friday 1 April 2022 Tickets: £17 Ticket Office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com

Eleesha Drennan Dance makes its Sadler’s Wells debut with All The Time in the World, a triple bill featuring a world premiere exploring what it means to be alive now on Thursday 31 March & Friday 1 April 2022.     With All The Time In The World, Eleesha Drennan Dance presents a powerful triptych that centres the human experience of time and place, while the ache to connect remains at the heart of the work.    Infinite Glimpse speaks eloquently of the search for the meaning of time, through the agonising feeling of not having enough of it. Inspired by a timeless romance and a survival story, the piece is intimately tied with the choreographer’s own life. It is a timely ode to the challenge of finding beauty in darkness, courage through adversity and a connection with others along the way.     In 2012 Drennan premiered her award-winning solo Whiskers – a compelling portrayal of what it means to be a woman. Returning a decade later with a new sequel, Whiskers 2, she embarks on a dynamic exploration of her own primal power and how it transforms through time.   Relive is performed by the Sadler’s Wells Company of Elders. It started as a short dance film during lockdown in early 2021, poignantly looking at human connection and isolation. Reliveunpacks the theme of memory through stories about what matters most in life: the people we share it with.    Eleesha Drennan is an award winning choreographer and director. Born in Canada and based in London, Drennan is passionate about creating theatrical experiences that connect people through laughter and tears. She was awarded the Sky Academy Arts Scholarship for Channel Rose which launched the formation of Eleesha Drennan Dance (EDD) in 2014. She also received first prize for Whiskers at the International Solo Dance Theatre Festival in Stuttgart in 2012. Drennan has been commissioned for international projects, performed with renowned choreographers as well as leading her own projects such as All The Time in The World.    Reflecting on her upcoming show, Eleesha Drennan said: “I needed to make All The Time In The World to tackle the unfolding of life that felt increasingly out of my control. I hope this work can help people feel less alone in their experiences of not knowing how much time we have in this life.  Making dance like this is an instinctive craft - it’s how I survive life’s curveballs. Honestly it’s make or die for me, so I’m making.”    Robyn Cabaret, Programming Producer at Sadler’s Wells, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Eleesha Drennan with her Lilian Baylis Studio debut. Since navigating a pandemic and re-learning how to be together, this work has a new relevance, where the themes related to isolation, waiting and care now take a new meaning that speaks strongly to our audiences.”  This performance contains haze effects and strobe lighting.     ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS  Listing information:  Thursday 31 March & Friday 1 April 2022   This performance contains haze effects and strobe lighting.  Standard - No Under 5's.  Post-Show Talk on Thursday is BSL Interpreted.   Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes. One interval (20 minutes)  Tickets: £17  Ticket Office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com    About Eleesha Drennan Eleesha Drennan is an award winning choreographer & director. Canadian born and based in London, Drennan is passionate about creating theatrical experiences that connect people through laughter and tears. Her work is musically driven, bold and full of nuance.    Eleesha Drennan Dance’s new production, All The Time In The World, features Infinite Glimpse, which has been commissioned by DanceEast and is funded by Arts Council England, Arts Council Wales, Sky Arts and the Arts Foundation (25th anniversary awarded artist, nominated by Wayne McGregor). It is set to an original score by Adelphoi Music (by composers Jamie Masters and Andy Sherrif). Relive has been commissioned by Sadler’s Wells.    Drennan was awarded the Sky Academy Arts Scholarship for Channel Rose which launched the formation of Eleesha Drennan Dance (EDD) in 2014 and received first prize for Whiskers at the International Solo Dance Theatre Festival in Stuttgart in 2012.    During her time as the inaugural house choreographer of National Dance Company Wales, Drennan created numerous works including Phantoms of Us, Virtual Descent and Imbue that have toured nationally & internationally to great acclaim.    As well as leading her own projects, Drennan has been commissioned to choreograph work for Tom Dale Company, Studio Wayne McGregor, National Dance Company Wales, Vanara The Musical, The Lost Estate (The Great Masked Ball), The Place, EDge (LCDS), London College of Fashion, Maiden Voyage Dance Company, Selfridges (The Body Studio Opening), Intoto (London Studio Centre), Fertile Ground, National Youth Dance Wales, RDC Youth, Grace & Growl Dance Company, Mathew Herbert, (Ron Arad’s Curtain Call at The Roundhouse, London.)    As a performer, Drennan has worked with renowned choreographers including Ohad Naharin, Christopher Bruce, Itzik Galili, Nigel Charnock, Stephen Shropshire, Stephen Petronio, Angelin Preljocaj, Andonis Foniadakis and Stijn Celis. Drennan performed in ‘Betrayal: A polyphonic crime drama by I Fagiolini produced by The Barbican, London.    Creating connective experiences that aim to nurture people is extended through Drennans’ teaching practice. EDD aims to create open training opportunities for professionals and leads creative workshops for all levels and ages from young dancers on the CAT programme to the Company Of Elders (Sadler’s Wells). She teaches professional, youth and adult classes at The Place and is a guest teacher for National Dance Company Wales, Rambert School & Northern School of Contemporary Dance. Drennan has led dance workshops for Headway East London (adults living with brain injuries and Unique Feet (Children living with Rare Diseases).    More information about Eleesha Drennan Dance can be found here: https://www.eleeshadrennan.com/about Instagram: instagram.com/eleeshadrennan/ Twitter: twitter.com/EleeshaDrennan Facebook: facebook.com/eleeshadrennandance   About Sadler’s Wells Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance organisation. We strive to make and share dance that inspires us all. Our acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap.  We commission, produce and present more dance than any other organisation in the world. Since 2005, we have helped to bring close to 200 new dance works to the stage, embracing both the popular and the unknown.      Each year, over half a million people visit our three London theatres - Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Lilian Baylis Studio and Peacock Theatre. Millions more attend our touring productions nationally and internationally or explore our digital platforms, including Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage. In 2023 we’re opening a fourth London venue in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Sadler’s Wells East will house a 550-seat mid-scale theatre, as well as facilities for the Choreographic School and Hip Hop Theatre Academy.       Supporting artists is at the heart of our work. We have associate artists and companies, which nurture some of the most exciting talent working in dance today. We host the National Youth Dance Company, which draws together some of the brightest young dancers from across the country. Sadler’s Wells Breakin' Convention runs professional development programmes to champion and develop the world’s best hip hop artists, as well as producing, programming and touring groundbreaking hip hop performances.       Around 30,000 people take part in our learning and engagement programmes every year. We support schools local to our theatres in Islington and Stratford, designing experiences for children and young people to watch, explore and critically engage with the arts. We also run Company of Elders, a resident performance company of dancers aged over 60 who rehearse with renowned artists to make new work for public performances locally, nationally and internationally.      Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.    www.sadlerswells.com    Stay up to date with everything Sadler’s Wells on social media   Facebook: @SadlersWells   Twitter: @Sadlers_Wells   Instagram: @sadlers_wells   YouTube: Sadler’s Wells Theatre