Press Release: ISH Dance Collective's Elements of Freestyle at Peacock Theatre in a London Premiere

[Jan McNulty]

ISH Dance Collective Elements of Freestyle   Peacock Theatre, WC2A  Wednesday 13 – Saturday 23 April  Tickets: £18 - £55  Ticket Office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com       Sadler’s Wells’ Peacock Theatre is delighted to present ISH Dance Collective’s Elements of Freestyle, an adrenaline-fuelled explosion of extreme urban sports, dance, music and theatre, from Wednesday 13 – Saturday 23 April in a London premiere.  In a fusion of breakdance, inline skating, skateboarding, freestyle basketball, BMX and freerunning, the audience discovers the artistry behind the trick. Elements of Freestyle stars a group of exceptional dancers and athletes who are staged performing their craft by the show creator and director Marco Gerris (So You Think You Can Dance) and who take the audience on a journey of exceptional skill.    Director Marco Gerris said: "Elements of Freestyle might just be my proudest achievement ever. Creating this explosive world on stage in which these wildly different street disciplines come together to be performed at the highest level has long been a dream of mine. Elements of Freestyle doesn’t just show the individual high-level skills, however, but also the chemistry between the performers, the friendship, the raw energy, the jams and battles. It’s not only adrenaline though, Elements of Freestyle also shows the poetic side of extreme sports: as a former freestyle inline-skater, I know the challenges you face landing a difficult trick. For me, it’s all dance on the highest level, it’s the art of movement in an exciting, new contemporary form.  After more than 20 years of performing all around the world, this is my first time performing at London's West End! I feel very honoured and privileged, especially after these difficult two years! We’re very excited to experience the London-scene and to meet the audience. London Calling!” The show features a cast of 10 including multi-award-winning b-boy and breakdancer Arnold Put; World Champion free runner Bart Van Der Linden also known as ‘The Flying Dutchman’; 10 times Dutch BMX Champion Dez Maarzen and breakdancer Dietrich Pott, or bboy Dietje as he is also known. They join skater Jelle Briggeman; freerunner Luís Alkmim; basketball freestyle juggler Michael Van Beek whose credits include Cirque de Soleil; skater Pim Wouters; breakdancer Thomas Krikken and Sven Boekhorst, skater and winner of the much acclaimed ‘Triple Crown’- winning the X-Games, Gravity Games and World Championships. The company are joined on stage by live musicians, Annie Tangberg on cello and Vera van der Bie on violin.  Image credit: Alex Brenner  NOTES TO EDITORS    Listings Information  ISH Dance Collective Elements of Freestyle Peacock Theatre, WC2A  Performances: Wednesday 13 – Saturday 23 April Tickets: £18 - £55  Ticket Office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com  ISH Dance Collective ISH Dance Collective is an internationally renowned dance company with performances in which contemporary disciplines such as hip hop dance, skating, freerunning and BMX are central. With a combination of raw energy and subtle grace, ISH presents productions that turn traditional image dance performances on their head. Inspired by choreographies hidden in the city, ISH makes the poetry of the street visible on stage, performed by a collective of idiosyncratic, unique performers. Marco Gerris Marco Gerris is choreographer, director and artistic director of ISH Dance Collective. Gerris, originally from the Filipino, grew up in Antwerp and moved to Amsterdam in the late 90s, where he made a career as a dancer, skater and actor. There he founded ISH Dance Collective in 2000. In 2020, Gerris received the prestigious Prince Bernhard Culture Fund Prize for his special and long-term commitment to culture. About Sadler’s Wells   Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance organisation. We 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. Many 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 London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, to sit alongside our Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Lilian Baylis Studio and Peacock Theatre. Sadler’s Wells’ new space will house a 550-seat mid-scale theatre, as well as facilities for a choreographic centre and a 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.