Press Release: Sadler's Wells - Questions and Dancers (Sally Marie & John Ross), Sat 7 February

[Jan McNulty]

A Sadler’s Wells co-commission
Sally Marie & John Ross
Questions and Dancers
The Place, Wednesday 4 February, 1pm (Schools show with limited tickets available for general sale)
Lilian Baylis Studio, Saturday 7 February, 2.30pm & 7pm

Questions and Dancers is a double bill of new works for young people, bringing together new dance talent:Sally Marie, nominated for the Critics Circle national Dance Award for new talent, and John Ross, winner of the New Adventures Choreographer Award. Marie and Ross each create an original short dance piece with final year students from London Contemporary Dance School (LCDS), inviting inquisitive young minds to share their feedback and questions after the show. 

Sally Marie presents I am 8, a world in which children’s personal stories and dancers’ lives blend together in a tale of discovery, spanning what it is like to be 8 years old to being 21. In There, There Stranger by John Ross, uncertainty arises in a labyrinth where anything is possible. Untangling different paths, the dancers go on a physical quest moving through darkness and light, from the scary to the absurd. 

The Questions and Dancers project entailed the creative teams testing their ideas on their target audiences, which was done with the collaboration of Netley Primary, Highgate Primary and Torriano Junior School. Marie and Ross carried out workshops in October and November 2014, with the final sessions taking place in January 2015.

Peter Laycock, Project Officer Creative Teaching & Learning at The Place said about the project, “Questions and Dancers creates exciting new work for young audiences but the sharing of knowledge and learning is at the heart of it: the artists can research and develop their ideas with young people who, in turn, gain insight into the artistic process, learning about researching, creating, editing and refining.”  

Both Marie and Ross’ works are commissioned thanks to The Choreography for Children Award 2014 produced by Sadler’s Wells, Company of Angels, The Place and London Contemporary Dance School in partnership with MOKO Dance.

Age Guidance: 8+

Free post-show talk with Sally Marie & John Ross after both performances

The Monument Trust supports co-productions and new commissions at Sadler's Wells


Listing information:
The Place
Wednesday 4 February (Schools show with limited tickets available for general sale)
1pm 
Tickets: £7
Ticket Office: 020 7121 1100 or www.theplace.org.uk

Lilian Baylis Studio
Saturday 7 February 
2.30pm & 7pm
Tickets: £7
Ticket Office: 0844 412 4322 or www.sadlerswells.com



Notes to editors:

About Sadler’s Wells
Sadler's Wells is a world leader in contemporary dance, committed to producing, commissioning and presenting new works and to bringing the very best international and UK dance to London 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. Since 2005 it has helped to bring over 90 new dance works to the stage and its international award-winning commissions and collaborative productions regularly tour the world. Sadler’s Wells supports 16 appointed world class Associate Artists and 3 Resident Companies and nurtures the next generation of talent through its National Youth Dance Company, Summer University programme, Wild Card initiative and its New Wave Associates.

Located in Islington in north London, the current theatre is the sixth to have stood on the site since it was first built by Richard Sadler in 1683. The venue has played an illustrious role in the history of theatre ever since, with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Opera all having started at Sadler’s Wells.

Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation and currently receives approximately 9% of its revenue from Arts Council England.

About The Place 
As a national centre for contemporary dance development The Place has been leading the way in dance training, creation and performance for over forty five years. It is one of Europe’s most exciting, innovative dance spaces, where artists from all over the world come to push creative boundaries, to experiment and to perform outstanding new work for audiences who expect to be surprised, inspired and delighted. The Place is home to London Contemporary Dance School, Richard Alston Dance Company, the Robin Howard Dance Theatre, an extensive range of classes, courses and participatory opportunities for adults and young people and professional development programmes for artists. The Place: where dance is going next. www.theplace.org.uk

London Contemporary Dance School 
Based at The Place, a creative powerhouse for dance development, London Contemporary Dance School has been preparing young artists for a physically rigorous and highly creative profession for over 45 years. The school ensures that its students are versed in the skills and knowledge that will enable them to achieve success within the professional dance industry, in whatever shape that may take in the future. An education at London Contemporary Dance School is grounded in a culture that celebrates the young emergent artistic voice, which gives it space, acknowledgment and above all works to develop its uniqueness. www.lcds.ac.uk

About MOKO Dance
Supported by Arts Council England, MOKO Dance is a national dance partnership dedicated to opening the eyes of children and their families to the power of dance. Led by DanceEast, MOKO Dance unites Nottingham Lakeside Arts, Pavilion Dance South West, Sadler’s Wells, South East Dance and Theatre Bristol in their shared vision of bringing bold and innovative work to audiences across the UK. www.mokodance.com

About Company of Angels
Company of Angels fosters and produces challenging theatre for and with young people and the adults in their lives. Since 2001 the company has toured ground-breaking plays to young people nationally and internationally. Meanwhile, through a range of research projects and development schemes, the company explores and documents new ideas, encourages the next generation of theatre makers and directly engages young people, including ‘hard-to-reach’ groups both within and outside school settings. www.companyofangels.co.uk