We are delighted to announce that William Forsythe’s A Quiet Evening of Dance, a new commission by Sadler’s Wells, has won the 2018 FEDORA Van Cleef & Arpels Prize for ballet.

Forsythe’s ground-breaking production was chosen by the expert jury as having most closely represented FEDORA’s values of innovation and creativity. The award is propitiously timed, as A Quiet Evening of Dance forms part of our ’20 for 20’ series of commissions celebrating 20 years of Sadler’s Wells in our current Rosebery Avenue theatre.

The programme includes new and existing pieces performed by some of Forsythe’s most trusted collaborators, who aim to provide insight into the workings of ballet and the mind of the man that has dedicated his artistic life to furthering the art form. Exploring new shapes and modes of movement, the evening features artist Rauf “RubberLegz” Yasit, who is known for his unique breaking style and contortion abilities.

FEDORA, a European Circle of Philanthropists of Opera and Ballet, is a non-profit organisation that aims to promote excellence and innovation in the two art forms. It has awarded two annual prizes for opera and ballet since 2014. The organisation coordinates 80 cultural bodies across 20 European countries in order to create a Europe-wide platform for the celebration of opera and ballet in all its forms. Since 2017, FEDORA has received funds from Creative Europe, the European Commission’s programme of support for the cultural sector.

A Quiet Evening of Dance is showing at Sadler’s Wells from 4 to 6 October 2018. It is co-produced with Théâtre de la Ville-Paris, le Théâtre du Châtelet, Festival d’Automne à Paris, Festival Montpellier Danse 2019, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, The Shed, New York, Onassis Cultural Centre-Athens, and deSingel, Antwerp. Tickets are available on the Sadler’s Wells website.

Image: William Forsythe, Sibylle Gallardo-Jammes and Alistair Spalding. Credit Susanne Schramke.