Press Release: 2 of 10 Claire Cunningham presents the UK premiere of Songs of the Wayfarer on Wednesday 4 – Friday 6 December in the Lilian Baylis Studio

[Jan McNulty]

Claire Cunningham                                                                         Songs of the Wayfarer               Lilian Baylis Studio, EC1R 4TN                             Wednesday 4 – Friday 6 December Tickets £17 Ticket Office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com Sven Hagolani   Claire Cunningham, one of the UK’s most acclaimed and internationally renowned disabled artists presents the UK premiere of her new solo Songs of the Wayfarer, on Wednesday 4 – Friday 6 December in the Lilian Baylis Studio, co-commissioned by Sadler's Wells.    In this new piece, Cunningham returns to the Lilian Baylis Studio to examine the act of journeying, drawing comparisons with the world of mountaineering and taking inspiration from Gustav Mahler’s ‘Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen’ (‘Songs of a Wayfarer’). In the work, Cunningham also re-engages with her past as a classical singer, by singing Mahler’s piece live to reframe our vision of journeying, craft, and outdoor encounter through a Crip* lens.  Claire Cunningham said: ‘I am very excited to bring my new work, Songs of the Wayfarer, developed with the support of Sadler’s Wells, to London. It’s been a decade since I made and performed a solo, and eight years since I last performed in the Lilian Baylis Studio. I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to connect with new audience members and those who have continued to follow my work as it, and I, have evolved over the years. Songs of the Wayfarer sees me navigating the two performance careers I have had in my life: as a singer, and as a dancer, and it’s fascinating to me how these two skills and identities come together in this work. I look forward to folks joining me on that journey in December.’    Cunningham is a performer and creator of multi-disciplinary performance based in Glasgow, Scotland. In October 2023, Claire joined the Inter-University Centre for Dance (HZT) in Berlin as the Einstein Professor of “Choreography, Dance and Disability Arts”.    Cunningham’s work is often rooted in the study of Crip & disabled experience, practices of care and questioning societal ideas of knowledge and value. A self-identifying disabled artist, Cunningham’s work combines multiple art forms and ranges from the intimate solo show ME, to the large ensemble work 12 made for Candoco Dance Company.      Co-commissioned by Sadler's Wells  Relaxed, BSL Interpretation, Captioning & Audio Description for all performances Touch Tour on Thursday 5 December at 7pm BSL-interpreted post show talk on Wednesday 4 December with Associate Artistic Director Rob Jones and Claire Cunningham     NOTES TO EDITORS *Crip is a political and cultural identity embraced by some disabled individuals.    Image credit: Sven Hagolani Listings information Claire Cunningham                                                                     Songs of the Wayfarer                Lilian Baylis Studio, EC1R 4TN                            Wednesday 4 – Friday 6 December Tickets £17 Ticket Office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.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 2025 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 Claire Cunningham  Claire Cunningham is a performer and creator of multi-disciplinary performance based in Glasgow, Scotland.  Claire was formerly Factory Artist with Tanzhaus NRW Düsseldorf, Germany and previously an Affiliate Artist with The Place, London.  One of the UK’s most acclaimed and internationally renowned disabled artists, Cunningham’s work is often rooted in the study of Crip & disabled experience, practices of care and questioning societal ideas of knowledge and value. A self-identifying disabled artist, Cunningham’s work combines multiple art forms and ranges from the intimate solo show ME (Mobile/Evolution) (2009), to the large ensemble work 12 made for Candoco Dance Company.       In 2014 Cunningham created Give Me a Reason to Live, inspired by the work of Dutch medieval painter Hieronymus Bosch and the role of beggars/cripples in his work, and the full length show Guide Gods, looking at the perspectives of the major Faith traditions towards the issue of disability. Awarded one of the Unlimited Commissions in 2016 she created the duet The Way You Look (at me) Tonight with choreographer Jess Curtis. The piece has since toured world-wide, was selected for the 2018 Tanzplattform in Germany and was nominated for an Isadora Duncan Dance Award.     Claire is a former Artist-in–Residence at the Women of the World Festival at the Southbank, London and of the Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queens. In 2016 she was Artist in Residence with Perth International Arts Festival, Australia and Associate Artist at Tramway, Glasgow.       In 2019, Claire was commissioned to do her first piece for gallery spaces, taking part in Automatise Ambulatoire: Hysteria, Imitation, curated by Amanda Cachia for Owen’s Art Gallery, Sackville, Canada. In July 2019 Claire premiered the ensemble piece, Thank You Very Much at Manchester International Festival which went on to win CATS awards for Best Ensemble and Best Sound and Music. In 2021, Claire was honoured for her Outstanding Artistic Development in dance at the German Dance Awards. In October 2023, Claire joined the Inter-University Centre for Dance (HZT) in Berlin as the Einstein Professor of “Choreography, Dance and Disability Arts”. Claire will premiere a new solo work, Songs of the Wayfarer in November 2024.