New Wave Associates

A behind-the-scenes look at Wilkie Branson’s digital craftsmanship

25th August 2018News, Videos, What's on20 for 20, Digital, New Wave Associates, Wilkie Branson

TOM is a dance for camera installation created by award-winning choreographer and film-maker Wilkie Branson, a Sadler’s Wells New Wave Associate. This cutting-edge new work receives its world premiere in November as one of our landmark 20^th anniversary commissions, and new performances have just been added due to popular demand. We spoke to Wilkie to find out more about his unique creative process.

Wilkie is an interdisciplinary dance-artist and film-maker with a talent for storytelling, bringing together the magic of the man-made and the wonder of technology. Self-taught in both dance and film, the roots of his practice lie in b-boying, developing into a unique fusion which emphasises emotional connection (demonstrated in his previous works Varmints and Boing!). Sadler’s Wells first premiered Wilkie’s work in 2011 with White Caps, followed by Varmints in 2013, based on the award-winning book by Helen Ward and directed by children’s theatre specialist Sally Cookson. It was co-produced and commissioned by Sadler’s Wells with the help of East London Dance and Stratford Circus. Following a successful opening run, Varmints went on to tour nine cities in the UK.

Since 2015, Wilkie has been further developing his work in film. This year, as part of our ‘20 for 20’ series of commissions, he has created a digital installation using layers of a special screen to create depth and a three-dimensional effect. Instead of generating models entirely digitally, he has crafted maquettes by hand that are subsequently digitised in a process called photogrammetry. This process creates a poignant, organic physical landscape, questioning our emotional relationship to the real, the digital and ourselves.

“The starting point for TOM was really the essence of a story I wanted to tell about loss of identity and estrangement from the people we were when we were going up – asking questions about who we are as we try to navigate our lives as adults”, explains Wilkie. “Once the idea was there, the narrative and the inhabitants of this world became clearer. It was then a process of working out the best tools to share that vision with an audience.”

The intricate process of Wilkie’s workflow and his intertwining of physical and digital crafts can be seen in the above video. Marked by an interdisciplinary approach to the creative and performing arts, Wilkie’s extensive research into technology and development clearly shines through in the seamless blending of film, live dance and animation into a unified three-dimensional digital installation.

“The most difficult part in the creation of TOM has definitely been making decisions on where, and where not, to compromise. The amazing thing about making an animated work like this is that, in principle, it’s possible to create anything that I can imagine. The challenges that arise from the complexity and scale I’m working at forces me to make decisions all the time about what to develop further, leave out or push to include. It’s a real challenge when you know what is possible to do, but impossible to implement. It’s a constant tussle between dreaming, letting go, compromising and pushing on.”

The world premiere of TOM takes place in the Lilian Baylis Studio on 15 – 17 November. Tickets are available now via the Sadler’s Wells website.

Wilkie Branson is one of Sadler’s Wells’ six New Wave Associates, alongside Julie Cunningham, Hetain Patel, Project O, L’atisse Rhoden and Alexander Whitley. Read more about our New Wave Associates on our website. More of Wilkie Branson’s video work can be found on his Vimeo account.

Our family of associates is growing!

1st February 2018NewsAssociate Artists, New Wave Associates, Young Associates

Artists are the lifeblood of Sadler’s Wells. Our productions and our theatre wouldn’t exist without them. Today, we are delighted to announce new additions to the Sadler’s Wells family.

Sharon Eyal becomes our newest Sadler’s Wells’ Associate Artist. One of the most original choreographic voices in contemporary dance, Sharon made her Sadler’s Wells debut with OCD Love in 2016, which received critical and public acclaim. There are four opportunities to see her work this year: her piece Bill is part of Ballet British Columbia’s triple bill in March.; the world premiere of her work as Guest Artistic Director of NYDC, Used To Be Blonde, is in April; Love Chapter 2, her latest production for her company L-E-V, has its UK premiere in July; and her piece Killer Pig is part of Rambert 2’s programme in November.

Speaking about her appointment, Sharon said: “L-E-V’s last two creations were co-produced with Sadler’s Wells, which was a fantastic vote of confidence from the theatre. This year, as well as bringing Love Chapter 2 here in July, another fortune has been bestowed on me by Sadler’s Wells – working with the National Youth Dance Company. I’m known as an emotional person – but working with those young people brought me to a new level of emotion, fulfillment and a genuine sense of purpose. L-E-V means heart in Hebrew – and this project shows what a big heart Sadler’s Wells has. So it’s with great honour and excitement that I receive this appointment of Associate Artist. For me, Sadler’s Wells was always one of the dance summits – now I’m privileged to reach and be part of it.”

We are committed to supporting artists at every stage of their career and to nurturing the pipeline of future talent. This encompasses the promising young performers in the National Youth Dance Company, early career artists consolidating their work in our Lilian Baylis Studio, our New Wave Associates and our more established Associate Artists. However, we have identified the need for more support to be given to those at the very outset of their dance-making careers, those who have just left higher education with a desire to establish their choreographic voices early on. So we have launched a new initiative, the Young Associates programme, supporting talented young people aged between 18 and 24, and providing a crucial first step into their career as choreographers.

The first Young Associates are: Anthony Matsena, Wilhelmina Ojanen, Ruby Portus and Christopher Thomas. We are supporting them in a variety of ways, including with production time in our studios and theatres, providing advice and networking opportunities. The Young Associates present a mixed bill of work later this year in the Lilian Baylis Studio.

Image: Anthony Matsena, Christopher Thomas, Ruby Portus and Wilhelmina Ojanen

We have also appointed three more artists as New Wave Associates: Julie Cunningham, Project O and L’Atisse Rhoden. Julie Cunningham recently launched her own company after 15 years of dancing with the iconic Merce Cunningham Dance Company and Michael Clark Company. Her work employs text and movement, and is concerned with gender identity. Project O is a collaboration between artists Alexandrina Hemsley and Jamila Johnson-Small. Their work explores the body as a site of politics, considering the impact of colonial history in the UK today. L’Atisse Rhoden comes from the hip hop dance theatre community. Introduced to us by our Breakin’ Convention team, she trained with dance companies Avant Garde Dance and Botis Seva’s Far From the Norm. A solo artist and director of the female collective 25, her work is heavily influenced by surrealism.

Image: Julie Cunningham, L’Atisse Rhoden, and Project O’s Alexandrina Hemsley and Jamila Johnson-Small

Alistair Spalding, Sadler’s Wells Artistic Director and Chief Executive, said: “Supporting artists and their creative journeys is at the very heart of what we do. I’m delighted to welcome a new collection of artists to our stable today, marking our commitment to long-term investment in artists at every stage, from fledgling choreographer, to the emerging, mid-scale and the most established artists. It is absolutely fitting that in our 20^th anniversary year, we look to the future with our Young Associates initiative, addressing the need for more support to be given to those at the very outset of their dance making careers.”

We are thrilled to welcome these artists to our associates’ family and look forward to seeing their work on our stages soon!

Sadler’s Wells announces Spring/ Summer 2016 programme

5th November 2015News, What's onAssociate Artists, Associate Company, Dance, New Wave Associates, News

A new contemporary programme commissioned for Russian ballet star Natalia Osipova, horses and a multi-installation experience with no dancers all feature in Sadler’s Wells’ upcoming season.

The Spring/ Summer 2016 season was announced at our Annual Press Conference today. Here are some of the highlights.

Russian ballet star Natalia Osipova takes a leap into the world of contemporary dance in a triple bill specially commissioned for her, co-produced by Sadler’s Wells and Moscow’s Muz Art Management Company.

The production features choreography by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Russell Maliphant, who are Associate Artists at Sadler’s Wells, as well as Arthur Pita. Dancer Sergei Polunin also appears in the programme.

In an unprecedented exploration of lighting, sound and projection, in June we turn our building inside out for the world premiere of No Body. This series of immersive, multi-sensory installation works will bring together the essential elements of a dance performance – without the physical presence of dancers.

Lighting designer and Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Michael Hulls invites the audience onto the main stage to experience LightSpace, an immersive installation challenging our mood and senses. Composer Nitin Sawhney, also a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist, creates a music, sound and animation trail, while lighting designer Lucy Carter presents pop-up installations in unusual spaces around our building.

In March, horses join dancers onto the Sadler’s Wells stage for the UK premiere of Golgota by French artist Bartabas.

The breath-taking work, featuring flamenco dancer Andrés Marín and dramatic Gregorian chants, is inspired by the theatricality of sacred rituals such as the Holy Week in Seville, Spain.

Other exciting highlights of the upcoming season include new work by Associate Artists Akram Khan, Crystal Pite and BalletBoyz, Associate Company English National Ballet, our New Wave Associate Alexander Whitley and circus company The 7 Fingers, as well as work by international companies Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch and Rosas. More details on the new season are available here

The Spring/ Summer 2016 season goes on sale at 10am on Monday 9 November. www.sadlerswells.com

Photo: Sadler’s Wells’ Chief Executive and Artistic Director Alistair Spalding (centre) with dancers Sergei Polunin and Natalia Osipova.

Sadler’s Wells’ touring progress report

29th April 2015NewsAssociate Artists, Dance, New Wave Associates, News, Touring

Commissioning and producing original work for its three stages and touring it to major arts venues around the world is an integral part of Sadler’s Wells’ mission to promote the public’s enjoyment and understanding of contemporary dance and encourage the development of the art form. In 2013-14, 13 of Sadler’s Wells’ shows toured in 50 UK and international cities, attracting audiences of 121,000.

In the last few months, Sadler’s Wells productions have been enjoyed by audiences in four continents, from North America to Australia and from Asia to Europe.

Havana Rakatan’s USA premiere at City Center in New York at the end of February was a huge success, with audiences rising from their seats to cheer and dance to the Cuban beats well before the part in the show where performers usually invited them to get up and move to the music.

At the beginning of March, New York’s City Centre hosted another USA premiere – this time of Sadler’s Wells’ Associate Artist Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s m¡longa. The show was positively received by critics and audiences alike for its imaginative choreography and the exceptional skills of its dancers, and continued to wow viewers in Serbia, where it toured to Novi Sad and Belgrade, before making a much anticipated trip to Arts Centre, Melbourne – m¡longa’s second visit to Australia since it played Sydney Opera House in 2014.

On 3 March, Sadler’s Wells presented Associate Artist Russell Maliphant’s duet Critical Mass as part of the UK’s GREAT Festival of Creativity in Shanghai. The performance was enjoyed by an invited audience of 900 delegates, including HRH The Duke of Cambridge. A few days later, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s Sutra was performed to huge acclaim at the Wei-Wu-Ying Centre for the Arts, as part of the Kaohsiung Festival in Taiwan. As part of the warm welcome they received, the Shaolin Temple monks and the production’s team were treated to a tour of the new National Arts Centre currently under construction. Sutra then travelled on to France, where it stopped in four cities, completing its successful tour with a run at Maison de la Danse in Lyon.

Meanwhile, Associate Artist Sylvie Guillem’s Life in Progress received its world premiere at the Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti in Modena, Italy, on 31 March. The sold-out show received a rapturous response from the audience and prompted a unanimous standing ovation.

Finally, Sadler’s Wells’ latest touring production Varmints – choreographed by Sadler’s Wells’ New Wave Associate Wilkie Branson in collaboration with children’s theatre director Sally Cookson – opened at the Lilian Baylis Studio on 3 April before heading off on a UK tour.

For a full calendar of Sadler’s Wells’ touring dates, visit www.sadlerswells.com/touring.

Photo: The cast and crew of Havana Rakatan in New York, by Andrew Lang