Sadler's Wells Announces New Shows For 2020 and Barclays Dance Pass

Tickets are on public sale from Monday 10 February 2020 for new shows announced at Sadler's Wells across 2020, featuring five world premieres, 10 UK premieres, and six Sadler's Wells Productions and co-productions, as well as a host of new creative partnerships involving artists from all over the world.

April 2020 sees the launch of Digital Edition, a new festival focussing on digitally engaged work curated by Sadler's Wells. This three-day focus, a first for Sadler's Wells, offers a chance to experience dance artists who are investigating the use of new technologies and offer new expressions of dance. The festival takes place throughout Sadler's Wells across the weekend of Friday 17 - Sunday 19 April. From virtual and augmented reality, to robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and the merging of recorded and live dance, these artists are experimenting with the different ways in which the viewer's body can form part of an expanded choreographic world. Events, installations and performances include Sadler's Wells New Wave Associate Alexander Whitley's new work Overflow, alongside his VR installation Celestial Motion II; a re-mounting of Sadler's Wells New Wave Associate Wilkie Branson's film installation TOM, originally created for Sadler's Wells' 20th anniversary; VR_I, an immersive VR installation from choreographer Gilles Jobin and Swiss motion-capture specialists Artanim; works by young dance-makers, including AΦE's free, foyer-based AR piece 0AR; and New Movement Collective's Project XO, an exploration of early robotics.

Other celebrations curated by Sadler's Wells include the return of Elixir and Flamenco Festival. Established in 2014, and now in its third edition, Elixir Festival 2020 runs 17 - 20 June. Celebrating lifelong creativity, the festival features older artists working with international choreographers, alongside new works from long-established artists. Liz Aggiss and Charlotta Öfverholm bring two works, Crone Alone and Lucky to the Lilian Bayliss Studio, while a mixed bill at Sadler's Wells features mature artists performing new commissions and existing work from some of the most exciting contemporary choreographers. The evening features world premieres of three newly commissioned works, alongside an extract from a much-celebrated masterpiece. Choreographer Ben Duke creates a unique and funny intergenerational piece for three older and three younger dancers; the Olivier Award-nominated Elixir Ensemble returns with a new work created for them by Nicole Beutler; Company of Elders, Sadler's Wells' resident inspirational over-60s performance company, appears alongside over-60s dancers from The National Theatre of Taiwan and Taiwanese company BDANCE, to present Tsai Po-cheng's Floating Flowers; and iconic Canadian choreographer Louise Lecavalier completes the programme with an extract of her seminal piece So Blue.

Flamenco Festival returns to Sadler's Wells with performances from Tuesday 30 June - Sunday 12 July. This year's festival celebrates up-and-coming artists alongside flamenco stars, challenging past traditions of the genre and looking towards a new future.
Emerging talents include former principal of the Ballet Nacional de España dubbed the 'Catalan virtuoso' Jesús Carmona, who returns to London with his company to present The Jump, a world premiere co-production with Sadler's Wells, from Tuesday 7 July - Wednesday 8 July; choreographer, director and multi-award winning flamenco dancer Manuel Liñán, returns to Sadler's Wells Tuesday 30 June to Wednesday 1 July with ¡VIVA!, a challenge to defined roles of male and female forms in traditional flamenco; and emerging talent Ana Morales blends traditional with the avant-garde in Without Permission, Songs for Silence, on Thursday 2 July. Two legends of flamenco also perform: María del Mar Moreno brings her Compañia to the Gala Flamenca, with special guests Pastora Galván, La Moneta and singer Mara Rey, presenting Mujeres de cal y cante on Friday 3 July - Saturday 4 July, and Compañia María Pagés returns with An Ode To Time from Friday 10 July - Sunday 12 July. The Flamenco Festival dance programme is complemented by two concerts: five-time Latin Grammy Award-winner, Tomatito brings an open-minded fusion of jazz, classical and Latin American styles on Thursday 9 July, whilst young talent Estrella Morente, a member of one of Spain's great flamenco dynasties, gives a fresh take to the Andalusian tradition on Sunday 5 July.

Akram Khan Company celebrates its 20th anniversary across the autumn with Carnival of Shadows, a festival curated by Akram Khan, who returns to the stage to perform in two works. Over the past 20 years, the Company has reinvented itself, reflecting the world as it changes and telling stories from ancient myths to modern times. Both reflecting on the past and looking to the future, Carnival of Shadows presents four major works that represent the cyclical nature of the Company's journey - Until the Lions, XENOS, We Are But Shadows and Outwitting the Devil.

Carnival of Shadows opens with the UK premiere of the Company's latest work that speaks on humanity's relationship to the natural world, Outwitting the Devil. Khan's final full-length solo in the award-winning XENOS, returns to reflect on the brutality of the First World War and to mirror our current tumultuous times. For this anniversary celebration, Until the Lions is presented at Sadler's Wells for the first time, with Khan performing in an exclusive three-show run to tell the mythical tale of revenge and justice through the lens of a female protagonist. Forming a classical evening of work are two pieces presented as part of Khan's curation of Darbar Festival, We Are But Shadows. The double-bill features Jwala, a solo by dancer Mythili Prakash and I am Ravana, performed by eight young dancers from Malaysia's Temple of Fine Arts. Carnival of Shadows will also include further performances, talks, concerts, an exhibition, workshops and masterclasses. Full details will be announced at a later date.

A world-leading company for generations, Nederlands Dans Theater 1 & 2 return to Sadler's Wells with the UK premiere of Kunstkamer from Wednesday 24 - Saturday 27 June. The first company marks its 60th anniversary with a tribute to its dance history over the past six decades. Inspired by Albertus Seba's Curiosity Cabinet (1734), Kunstkamer presents the company as a multi-faceted 'Company of Oddities'. Resident choreographers Sol León and Paul Lightfoot join forces with Marco Goecke and Sadler's Wells Associate Artist Crystal Pite to create work which features every dancer in both NDT 1 and NDT 2, the highly acclaimed Second Company joining the first company, in a work featuring music from Ludwig van Beethoven to Janis Joplin, Arvo Part, Bela Bartok and Franz Shubert.

National Youth Dance Company (NYDC) returns to Sadler's Wells on Saturday 18 July, performing a new work created specially for them by Guest Artistic Director, multi award-winning choreographer and Sadler's Wells Associate Artist Russell Maliphant. Thirty-nine outstanding young dancers brought together from all over England, present a new contemporary work, exploring the relationship between movement, light and music. NYDC has established a reputation for producing high-quality, critically acclaimed productions by leading choreographers including Botis Seva, Sharon Eyal, Damien Jalet, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Michael Keegan-Dolan, Akram Khan and Jasmin Vardimon. This is the first time they have collaborated with Russell Maliphant.

Two favourite family shows return to Sadler's Wells for Christmas 2020. For 23 years, the stage adaption of The Snowman has transported children and families to the wintery wonderland of a boy and a snowman that comes to life. With music and lyrics by Howard Blake, including the timeless Walking in the Air, Birmingham Repertory Theatre's production continues to enchant audiences, and runs at The Peacock from Saturday 21 November - Sunday 3 January. Last seen in 2011, Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker! returns to London for a limited season at Sadler's Wells from Tuesday 8 December 2020 - Sunday 24 January 2021. Featuring his trademark wit, pathos and magical fantasy, and influenced by the lavish Hollywood musicals of the 1930s, Bourne's choreography creates a fresh and irreverent interpretation of this traditional Christmas favourite. Adored by audiences and critics since its premiere in 1992, new surprises should be expected in this reinvented production for 2020.

Today Sadler's Wells also launches Barclays Dance Pass, a new ticket scheme offering £10 tickets to 16 to 30-year-olds as part of a new partnership with Barclays. Barclays Dance Pass will make 10,000 tickets available per year at £10 each to those registered with the scheme. No booking fee applies, and registered holders can purchase two tickets per production, for shows across Sadler's Wells' three venues - Sadler's Wells Theatre, the Lilian Baylis Studio and The Peacock. Registration is free and can be completed online at sadlerswells.com/barclaysdancepass. The ticket scheme launches today at 10am, after which Barclays Dance Pass holders can book for shows in the spring 2020 season, beginning with Sadler's Wells Sampled opening on Friday 31 January.

To mark the launch of Barclays Dance Pass, Sadler's Wells is offering the first ten sign ups a pair of free tickets for the world premiere of Message In A Bottle, the new Sadler's Wells & Universal Music UK production from Sadler's Wells Associate Artist Kate Prince, based on the songs of Sting, on Wednesday 19 February.

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

Barclays supports Barclays Dance Pass and is an Associate Partner of National Youth Dance Company.

National Youth Dance Company is jointly funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Education.

Tickets for all newly announced events are on public sale from Monday 10 February at 9am via www.sadlerswells.com and 020 7863 8000, and in person at 10am. Booking opens to members from Wednesday 29 January at 9am.

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