Sadler's Wells Reveals Seven New Associate Artists

Sadler's Wells has announced the appointment of seven new Associate Artists, who represent a wide range of dance styles and are among the most exciting talent working in dance today. 

Newly appointed Associates are Jules Cunningham, Dan Daw, Oona Doherty, Michelle Dorrance, Seeta Patel, Alesandra Seutin and Botis Seva. 

The appointments were made by Sadler's Wells' Artistic Director and Co-Chief Executive, Sir Alistair Spalding CBE, and Associate Artistic Director Rob Jones. 

Alistair Spalding said: "I'm so pleased we're adding to our fantastic roster of Associate Artists with these exceptional talents. While they all work in different choreographic styles, they are at the top of their game, creating bold and exciting works." 

 

Rob Jones said: “The naming of these new Associate Artists marks a new chapter in Sadler's Wells' history. As we move into the future, growing our organisation and broadening the scope of the dance we support and present, I am so excited for us to follow and support these incredible artists and for us to be part of their journeys.” 

 

Associate Artists are at the heart of Sadler's Wells' artistic vision. Sadler's Wells commissions new work from its Associate Artists, helps them develop their ideas, and provides them with resources and technical expertise. The first group of Associates Artists was appointed by Sir Alistair Spalding in 2005. This played an important role in transforming Sadler's Wells into an organisation that makes new work, and helped it become the world-leading dance institution it is today.

Jules Cunningham said: “I have benefited so much from my association with Sadler's Wells over the last years and so this onward validation from the great team here is really heartening. I'm thankful to be supported and I acknowledge the privilege of being in this position as we have an extraordinary community of UK dance artists and it's an ongoing struggle to keep living and working as independent artists. I will keep offering as much work as I can to collaborators and continue to make within healthcare settings as well as the big stages.” 

Dan Daw said: "It came as quite the surprise being invited to be an Associate Artist and it comes at the perfect time as I embark on making my first large scale piece of work. It means the absolute world to me that the work I do resonates deeply enough that Sadler's Wells want to foster this longer-term relationship with me, as an artist, and us as a company. I'm immeasurably excited about this next chapter for all involved and what we can make possible.”  

Michelle Dorrance said “Some of my favourite memories performing have been at Sadler's Wells and it is a gift to be supported by such a powerhouse of dance and culture. I am honoured and thrilled to be joining a group of creators I admire so deeply as an Associate Artist.”

Seeta Patel said: “‘I am truly thrilled to be invited to be an Associate Artist at Sadler's Wells. It's such an incredible honour and I'm so grateful to all those who have championed and supported me over the years to reach such a milestone in my career. I look forward for the chance to grow and bring others on this journey with me.”

Alesandra Seutin said “Since 2017, Sadlers Wells has been a constant source of support on my artistic path, and receiving this invitation feels like a natural and heartwarming continuation of that journey. I am deeply honored to accept it, and I am hopeful that it will lead to meaningful connections with audiences in the UK and around the world, inspiring others to pursue their creative dreams with passion and determination.”
 

Jules Cunningham (they/them) is a National Dance Award-winning dancer based in South London and originally from Liverpool. Their teaching and performance work is informed by solo and collaborative movement exploration, queerness, lived experience of mental illness, disability and exclusion based on Jules' working-class background and non-binary identity. 
 
Dan Daw is the Artistic Director/CEO of Dan Daw Creative Projects, a disabled-led company that works collaboratively with a growing network of companies and artists to develop and tour new performance work that blurs the divide between theatre and dance. Dan's work explores what it means for his disabled body to occupy, and be unapologetic in, non-disabled space 
 
Oona Doherty is a choreographer who creates intense, compelling works that appeal for societal change. She has forged a wide range of artistic relationships locally and internationally. Doherty's distinctive and visceral choreography has sparked international attention and won her numerous awards. 
 
Michelle Dorrance has pushed tap dance choreography into dialogue with the international cultural landscape. At once a composer and a choreographer, she is known for deeply musical, highly physical, and emotionally compelling work that lives at the intersection of innovation, tradition, and risk.     
 
Seeta Patel is an award-winning choreographer and dancer who has, in a career spanning two decades, transformed the South Asian dance world in the United Kingdom. Her choreographic output is deeply influenced by her roots and training in Bharatanatyam, with each production mining its rhythms, musicality and expression in a unique way. 
 
Botis Seva is a unique and seminal choreographic voice rooted in Hip Hop dance theatre but inspired by a freeform approach to choreography. His work is grounded in real life and captures his own stories, as well as those around him, whilst borrowing techniques from film, text, art and other dance languages to continuously reinvent his approach to creativity and the stage. 
 
Alesandra Seutin is an award-winning multidisciplinary performance artist and creator, whose focus is exploring movement as a foundation for theatre, media and site-specific works. As co-Artistic Director and a former student of the École des Sables, Seutin is a worldwide ambassador and teacher of the Acogny technique. Dance for Seutin is a way of expression and through her work, she intends to speak volumes.

Sadler's Wells Associate Artists in full are Balletboyz, Matthew Bourne, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Jules Cunningham, Jonzi D, Dan Daw, Oona Doherty, Michelle Dorrance, Sharon Eyal, Sylvie Guillem, Michael Hulls, Michael Keegan-Dolan, Akram Khan, Russell Maliphant, Wayne McGregor, Seeta Patel, Crystal Pite, Kate Prince, Nitin Sawhney, Alesandra Seutin, Botis Seva, Hofesh Shechter, and Jasmin Vardimon.  

 
For more information, please contact Freddie Todd Fordham, Acting Head of Media and Communications on 020 7863 8112 or freddie.toddfordham@sadlerswells.com  

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