Featured Images: Peter Cook
A new purpose-built theatre for dance has officially opened in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, kicking off the season with performances from Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu's Our Mighty Groove.
Sadler’s Wells East is the first public building to open as part of London’s new cultural and educational district, East Bank, where it will eventually sit alongside BBC Music Studios, V&A East, University of Arts London’s London College of Fashion and University College London East.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan opened the facility yesterday (Thursday).
“The opening of Sadler’s Wells East is another exciting milestone in the East Bank journey,” commented Khan.
“Renowned across the world as the UK’s leading dance institution, this brand-new venue will be a gamechanger for dance in the capital. The school, studio spaces and electrifying programme will showcase and nurture talent not only from London but across the country and provide inspiration and opportunities for young people – a world class vision that’s accessible to all, helping us build a better London for everyone.”
Designed by architects O’Donnell + Tuomey, Sadler’s Wells East features a fully flexible 550-seat auditorium, six dance studios, a public performance space for free performances, a restaurant and a bar.
Sadler’s Wells East features a fully flexible 550-seat auditorium
Providing a London base for mid-scale companies from the UK and around the world, the location also allows Sadler’s Wells to produce work from scratch in-house.
Sadler’s Wells East is also home to two educational facilities: Academy Breakin’ Convention, a hip hop theatre school for talented 16–19-year-olds, and the Rose Choreographic School, an experimental research project that enables 13 dance artists to develop their own choreographic practice over a two-year course.
The venue’s opening season features 20 productions and will showcase work from local east-London based artists, as well as dance companies from across the UK and further afield. The opening season will culminate in a two-week youth festival in the summer.
Over 20,000 tickets – 50% of all tickets across the season – are available for £25 (€30/$31) or less, with £10 Barclays Dance Pass tickets for 16 to 30-year-olds for every single performance.
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