Press Release; Applications open for the new Rose Choreographic School

[Jan McNulty]

 

 

Sadler’s Wells at East Bank announces major new initiative,   ahead of opening new venue in 2024  Applications open for the new Rose Choreographic School     Sadler’s Wells is preparing for its East Bank venue launch next year, by today inviting applications for its new innovative international choreographic school. Artists are invited to register their interest in Rose Choreographic School, which will be based at Sadler’s Wells’ new venue Sadler’s Wells East and launches today, Tuesday 26 September. It is led by dramaturg and writer Martin Hargreaves with input from artistic faculty members and leading dance figures William Forsythe, Trajal Harrell and Alesandra Seutin.    Rose Choreographic School is an experimental research programme for artists to develop their practice through investigating questions of the choreographic, over a two-year period. They will have access to studio spaces, mentoring and a research budget and will engage in workshops, lectures and discursive events.    Rose Choreographic School has been made possible by a generous donation from an anonymous individual who chose the name Rose for the school. The donation also supports the Rose International Dance Prize at Sadler’s Wells – a biennial prize for new dance creations that was launched by Sadler’s Wells last year. The first six finalists will be announced in early 2024 and will present their work on Sadler’s Wells’ stages over the course of two weeks in spring 2025.    Applications for Rose Choreographic School are welcomed from artists who wish to engage in their own research projects relating to the concept of the choreographic. The first cohort will receive mentorship from renowned dance artists William Forsythe, Trajal Harrell and Alesandra Seutin.    William Forsythe is an American dancer and choreographer known for staging groundbreaking contemporary dance and redefining classical ballet over a career of more than 40 years. Recently he has created original works for the English National Ballet as well as A Quiet Evening of Dance, produced by Sadler’s Wells and The Barre Project (Blake Works II) created in 2020 for the Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage.     Trajal Harrell came to visibility with the Twenty Looks or Paris is Burning at The Judson Church series of works which theoretically juxtaposed the voguing dance tradition with the early postmodern dance tradition. He is now considered one of the most important choreographers of his generation. His work has been presented in many American and international venues including The Kitchen (NYC), New York Live Arts, TBA Festival (Portland), Walker Arts Center (Minneapolis), American Realness Festival, ICA Boston, Philadelphia Fringe Festival, LA’s RedCat Theater, Festival d’Automne (Paris), Holland Festival (Amsterdam), Festival d’Avignon, Impulstanz (Vienna), TanzimAugust (Berlin), and Panorama Festival (Rio de Janeiro) among others. He has also shown performance work in visual art contexts.     Alesandra Seutin is an award-winning multidisciplinary performance artist and creator, whose focus is on exploring movement as a foundation for theatre, media and site-specific works. The daughter of South African and Belgian parents, Alesandra Seutin was born in Zimbabwe and calls herself ‘Afropean’. An inspirational leader with a multifaceted career spanning two decades, she has reached a global audience through her work.    Director of Rose Choreographic School, Martin Hargreaves said: “Rose Choreographic School is an experimental research programme, open to applications from all kinds of artists from all walks of life. I am very excited to welcome our first cohort and the creative ideas they bring with them, and to work with the questions and provocations that our Artistic Faculty will propose.”     Sir Alistair Spalding CBE, Sadler’s Wells Artistic Director and Chief Executive said: “Rose Choreographic School is a much-needed initiative that will benefit the dance ecology by supporting artists at a crucial point in their careers. It will be a living creative environment, where artists can develop and flourish. I am very excited to welcome the globally respected dance leaders who will form the artistic faculty in the inaugural year. They all have a unique aesthetic and approach to their work that will give the participants an incredible insight into a range of choreographic styles. I am most grateful for the generous donation that has made the school possible. It represents a huge vote of confidence in Sadler’s Wells, and the future of dance.”    Podcasts, on-site workshops and research presentations and publications from the school will be publicly available online. The inaugural programme starts in June 2024 and runs until April 2026.    Rose Choreographic School is also working in partnership with Goldsmiths, University of London to support a fully funded CHASE (Consortium for the Humanities and the Arts South-East England) collaborative doctoral award on “The four-plus Dimensional Materialities of the Choreographic”. Applications for the doctorate are via Goldsmiths, and the successful applicant will be based at both Goldsmiths and Rose Choreographic School.    Sadler’s Wells East will be a new kind of cultural destination with local roots, national impact and global perspectives. Situated in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and opening next year as part of the groundbreaking East Bank cultural and educational development, Sadler’s Wells East features a 550-seat theatre, six studios for creating work, a community dance space and Academy Breakin’ Convention, as well as the choreographic school.    To find out more and to apply, please visit rosechoeographicschool.com      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 more than 200 new dance works to the stage, embracing both the popular and the unknown. Our acclaimed productions tour the world. Since 2005 we’ve produced 64 new full-length works and performed to audiences of more than two million, touring to 51 countries.      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.     Sadler’s Wells East   In 2024 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 new Rose Choreographic School and the hip hop theatre training centre, Academy Breakin’ Convention.   Sadler’s Wells East joins the rich cultural heritage of Stratford, opening in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as part of the East Bank development alongside the BBC, UAL’s London College of Fashion, UCL and the V&A. Sadler’s Wells East will support artist development and training, and the creation of new work. It will build the infrastructure for dance and make it accessible to more people. Sadler’s Wells East will house a flexible theatre presenting a wide variety of dance performances. Community will be at the heart of Sadler’s Wells East with a large open foyer that can be used by everyone as a meeting or performance space. There will also be dance studios and world-class dance facilities for dancemakers to train, create and rehearse productions.    Supporting artists  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.      Learning and community links  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                   About East Bank  East Bank is the UK’s newest cultural quarter at the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The place where everything happens – entertainment, inspiration and discovery – and open to everyone who visits, lives and works in East London. It is a unique collaboration between cultural institutions, world-leading universities and the people of the Olympic boroughs. Comprising V&A East, Sadler’s Wells East, UAL’s London College of Fashion, UCL East (University College London) and the new BBC Music studios, East Bank will begin to open up from autumn 2023, with UCL’s Marshgate campus and UAL’s London College of Fashion opening their doors to students. The scheme, driven with significant backing and funding from the Mayor of London and support from HM Government and the four Olympic boroughs, will provide skills and jobs for local people, bring over 10,000 students to the site, and attract thousands of visitors from London and beyond. East Bank will help cement the capital’s reputation as a world leader in culture, education and innovation creating 2,500 jobs, £1.5 billion of economic benefit and 600 new homes. East Bank is rooted in the diverse communities of East London and is a reflection of the creative spirit of the Olympic boroughs and the legacy of the 2012 Games. For over a decade, East Bank institutions have worked with communities across East London to ensure they benefit from the £1.1bn investment. East Bank will build on the area’s existing creative and innovation credentials, and East Bank partners have been building relationships and delivering projects with the thriving arts, fashion, education and community organisations based in the area, including the artistic community in Hackney Wick, East London Dance, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Studio Wayne McGregor and many more.