PRESS RELEASE: Sadler's Wells Celebrates International Dance Day 2020

[Jan McNulty]

Tuesday 28 April

Sadler's Wells Celebrates International Dance Day 2020

 

In celebration of International Dance Day (29 April 2020), Sadler’s Wells has curated a special playlist for digital partner Nowness, featuring films specifically created and choreographed for the screen. 

 

The playlist features six short films that explore, through dance, the complex emotions we are feeling in this time including isolation, claustrophobia, generosity and hope. The films are all presented by Nowness and feature some of the most exciting dance artists and companies working around the world today, across all forms of dance:

 

• ILL-Abilities are an international hip hop crew featuring some of the world’s best differently-abled dancers. Able celebrates the skills and individuality of the group’s members, dancing alone in separate environments but bound together by their mantra - ‘no excuses, no limits’

 

• Scottish Ballet’s Maze is a spiky, compulsive duet presented in an abandoned swimming pool, with dancers Javier Andreu and Madeline Squire, choreographed for the screen by Sophie Laplane

• Cornered is an intimate and moving night-time solo performed by American dancer Kevin Tate, in a midnight dance in the dark inspired by the music of Sydney-based composer and pianist Adrian Klumpes and filmed in silhouette by Malta-based director James Vernon, in an isolated empty room

• Nowness’ film series Dancing About Architecture explores built environments through movement and music. In Ecos, dancers inhabit architect Luis Barragan’s Casa Estudio in Mexico City, moving through its colourful spaces and experimenting with physicality.  

• Sink or Swim, choreographed by Charlotte Edmonds, dives into the mind of a woman with depression. Starring Royal Ballet principal dancer Francesca Hayward, this underwater ballet creates a moment of hope for those struggling to keep their head above water. 

• An ensemble of dancers from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater illuminate the Rue Montorgeuil in Paris with a celebration of life through dance. Shot in one take, this hopeful film highlights the connection, community and joy of a shared dance. 

 

Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage programme also continues this week, with a new workshop for International Dance Day, and a Facebook Premiere this Friday. The fifth workshop in the Company of Elders series - designed for over 60s, though anyone can take part – is presented by its regular Rehearsal Director Simona Scotto, who will lead a ballet-based session. All Company of Elders Workshops can be found online via the Sadler’s Wells Facebook and YouTube channels, alongside workshops for children and families to dance along to at home. 

 

On Friday 1 May at 7.30pm, Sadler’s Wells Facebook Premieres continues with the world’s biggest festival of hip hop dance theatre, Breakin’ Convention, on the same weekend that this year’s festival was due to take place. Friday’s performance looks back to the 2018 edition, and an innovative collaboration with Jazz re:freshed. The partnership brought together musicians across jazz, hip-hop and beyond, to accompany five newly commissioned dance works featuring artists including The Locksmiths, The Ruggeds, Boy Blue, Ayanna Witter-Johnson and Mufasa, Tanaya ‘Ice’ Martin and host Jonzi D, UK hip hop theatre pioneer and founder of Breakin’ Convention. The full-length performance from the The Jazz re:freshed Sonic Orchestra is available at this link.

 

Alistair Spalding, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Sadler’s Wells, said: “Although on this International Dance Day, we can’t be together as usual to experience live performance in our theatres, we can still come together as a community to celebrate dance online. I hope that these films, alongside the performances and workshops in our Digital Stage programme, offer moments to uplift, inspire and entertain, and keep us going during these times of isolation”. 

 

The International Dance Day screendance playlist can be found at Nowness via this link. 

Further details about the Digital Stage programme is available on Sadler’s Wells’ social media channels and via this link on the Sadler’s Wells website: https://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/2020/digital-stage.  

 

Sadler’s Wells social media handles:    

Facebook: @SadlersWells
Twitter: @Sadlers_Wells  
Instagram: @sadlers_wells  
YouTube: Sadler’s Wells Theatre    

NOWNESS social media handles:

Facebook: @nowness
Twitter: @NOWNESS
Instagram: @nowness
YouTube: NOWNESS
 
ABOUT SADLER’S WELLS
 
Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance house, committed to producing, commissioning and presenting new works and to bringing the 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 100 new dance works to the stage and its award-winning commissions and collaborative productions regularly tour internationally. Sadler’s Wells supports 16 Associate Artists, three Resident Companies, an Associate Company and two International Associate Companies. It also nurtures the next generation of talent through its New Wave Associates and Summer University programmes, its Wild Card initiative and hosting of the National Youth Dance Company. 

 

Located in Islington, 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 10% of its revenue from Arts Council England.

 

ABOUT NOWNESS

 

Launched in 2010, NOWNESS is the global arts and culture online channel celebrating the extraordinary of the every day. 

 

Premiering the best in art & design, fashion, beauty, music, food, travel and culture, NOWNESS works with a wide range of filmmakers and talent to provoke global inspiration and debate. 

 

Dance has always been at the centre of NOWNESS’ unique programming strategy and collaborations include films with the Royal Ballet, Alvin Ailey, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Ryan Heffington, English National Ballet, Lil Buck, Benjamin Millepied and Holly Blakey. 

NOWNESS launched a Chinese-language site in 2012 and since 2013 videos are available in up to ten languages including English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian. In China alone the channel has a monthly audience of 14M.