Sadler’s Wells East announces opening programme

Sadler’s Wells has announced the opening programme for its new dance venue Sadler’s Wells East, opening in February 2025.

Sadler’s Wells East is one of the major new cultural venues to open in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as part of the new East Bank cultural and educational quarter.

The venue will join BBC Music Studios, London College of Fashion, UAL, V&A East and UCL East.

Over 20 productions will make up the inaugural season, including eight UK premieres and ten Sadler’s Wells co-productions and commissions.

The venue has a completely flexible auditorium, which can be transformed into almost anything, from a skatepark to a club dance floor, photography studio, immersive rave experience, and even a theatre!

Video: Sadler’s Wells East new season

The new season opens with Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu’s Our Mighty Groove featuring a community cast from east London alongside professional dancers. Take a look at highlights from the new season, below.

Sir Alistair Spalding CBE, Artistic Director and Co-Chief Executive of Sadler’s Wells, said that the new venue, “reflects our vision for what we hope Sadler’s Wells East will be for many years: a cultural hub that has deep local roots, one that makes tangible national impact and has an international outlook.”

He said that the first season will provide “a kaleidoscope of dance styles, and there will be something for everyone. Whether you’ve visited one of our theatres many times before, or if this is your first introduction to Sadler’s Wells – you’ll get dance from every angle.”

See other quotes, below.

The first Sadler’s Wells East season runs from 6 February to 9 August 2025 .

Sadler’s Wells East 2025 Season

Our Mighty Groove
Thursday 6 – Sunday 9 February 2025

Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu’s Our Mighty Groove opens Sadler’s Wells East with a celebration of community and the power of the dance floor. The Sadler’s Wells production sees young dancers from east London join Uchenna Dance for this immersive show in a club setting.

∞ {Infinite} HUMANHOOD
Wednesday 12 – Saturday 15 February 2025

HUMANHOOD presents ∞ {Infinite}, a production that brings together the company’s signature choreography with a spiritual calling. Julia Robert and Rudi Cole’s latest work features rhythmic movements and a fluidity together with spoken word, inviting the audience to tap into their own infinite potential.

Birdboy
Thursday 20 – Saturday 22 February 2025

Irish choreographer Emma Martin makes her London debut with Birdboy, a solo performance bringing audiences into a frenzied, absurd and sometimes otherworldly landscape of isolation, fantasy and letting go.

She’s Auspicious
Friday 28 February – Sunday 2 March 2025

Los Angeles-based bharatanatyam artist Mythili Prakash assembles an all-female cast for She’s Auspicious, a production that blurs the line between Goddess and Woman.

NOW
Wednesday 5 – Saturday 8 March 2025

Jasmin Vardimon Company revisits iconic moments from its 25-year history with NOW, a celebration as much as a reflection on our ever-changing world, this new production examines the beauty of imagination and art.

The Köln Concert
Friday 4 – Saturday 5 April 2025

Arriving at the Cologne Opera in 1975, pianist Keith Jarrett embarked upon an hour-long improvisation, the recording of which became one of the highest-selling albums in the history of classical music and jazz: ‘The Köln Concert’. American choreographer Trajal Harrell now puts this iconic recording to movement, pairing it with four bittersweet songs by Joni Mitchell.

Skatepark
Thursday 10 – Saturday 12 April 2025

Together with a group of skaters and dancers, Mette Ingvartsen explores the speed and energy of movement on wheels; a passion from her youth.

Snow White
Wednesday 16 – Saturday 19 April 2025

balletLORENT presents two takes on Snow White: a family friendly version during the day, and for one-night only a darker adaptation for older audiences. Directed by Liv Lorent and retold by Carol Ann Duffy, the classic tale of Snow White has been reimagined for all ages with this family friendly dance-theatre production.

Snow White The Sacrifice
Friday 18 April 2025

In this darker adaptation, Liv Lorent and Carol Ann Duffy delve into the psyche of a desperate Queen enslaved by her own reflection, a tragic story unfolds with cruelty, envy, and acts of heroism.

Impact Driver
Thursday 24 – Saturday 26 April 2025

Eve Stainton’s Impact Driver crafts tension and suspense as a state of continuous transformation. This large-scale, multidisciplinary performance work interrogates stereotypes and gender through the language of fabrication, disruption and absurdity.

The Dan Daw Show
Wednesday 30 April – Friday 2 May 2025

Dan Daw takes back the power by being dominated on his own terms in The Dan Daw Show, an intimate evening of play. Performed with collaborator Christopher Owen, The Dan Daw Show is a peep into the push and pull of living with shame while bursting with pride.

KABEL
Monday 5 – Wednesday 7 May 2025

Brothers Anthony and Kel Matsena reimagine the tale of Cain and Abel, a sibling rivalry that has rippled across time. Through a potent mix of movement and text, KABEL is a duet that delves deep into the primal emotions of love, jealousy, joy and rage.

Carlos Acosta’s Ballet Celebration
Friday 9 & Saturday 10 May 2025

Coming to Sadler’s Wells for the first time, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s younger sibling BRB2 puts the spotlight on some of the best ballet dancers from across the globe aged 18–22.

TRAPLORD
Wednesday 28 – Saturday 31 May 2025

From award-winning dance artist and cultural innovator Ivan Michael Blackstock comes the return of TRAPLORD, a dance performance meditating on life, death and rebirth. Winner of the 2023 Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production, TRAPLORD played to sell-out crowds at 180 Studios, and now comes to Sadler’s Wells East.

Find Your Eyes
Wednesday 4 – Saturday 7 June 2025

Pioneer of hip hop theatre turned award-winning photographer Benji Reid draws from his experiences – exploring vulnerability, tragedy and triumph through the photographer’s lens.

Inside Giovanni’s Room
Wednesday 11 – Saturday 14 June 2025

Phoenix Dance Theatre presents Inside Giovanni’s Room, a production based on James Baldwin’s iconic novel which tackles themes of love, sexuality, guilt and self-acceptance. Choreographer Marcus Jarrell Willis unpacks the thought-provoking literary work, transposing it onto stage in a narrative dance piece that reflects on the timeless themes.

Rite of Spring/ New
Tuesday 17 – Saturday 21 June 2025

For over a hundred years, choreographers have been bringing their own interpretations to the timeless themes in The Rite of Spring. Now Alexander Whitley offers a radical new perspective of Stravinsky’s masterpiece using digital technology. The second half of this double bill is a new work made in collaboration with renowned avant-garde sound designer and composer Ben Frost.

Until We Sleep
Tuesday 24 – Saturday 28 June 2025

East London raised and Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Botis Seva returns after the success of BLKDOG, with Until We Sleep.

Over and Over (and over again)
Wednesday 2 – Friday 4 July 2025

Candoco Dance Company has commissioned Dan Daw Creative Projects to create Over and Over (and over again) – a beat-driven, joyful journey to the perfect rave, where everyone is welcome and where you love doing something so much that you never want to stop.

R.O.S.E
Thursday 10 – Sunday 13 July 2025

R.O.S.E is an experience for the ages. Award-winning choreographer and Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Sharon Eyal, and long-term collaborator Gai Behar join London-based music and arts organisation Young for nights of club culture, dance and new music.

Songs of the Bulbul
Thursday 17 – Saturday 19 July 2025

Returning after his spellbinding Samsara in 2022, this spiritual and captivating new work from Aakash Odedra, Songs of the Bulbul, brings the myth of the bulbul to life in a mediative exchange between the Indian classical dance Sufi kathak and Islamic poetry.

ROMEO & JULIET
Thursday 7 – Saturday 9 August 2025

In partnership with Stratford East, this large-scale production features young artists and our local community alongside two professional performers. Romeo & Juliet is adapted by Kwame Owusu and co-directed by Emily Ling Williams and Malik Nashad Sharpe.

What They Said

Sir Alistair Spalding CBE, Artistic Director and Co-Chief Executive of Sadler’s Wells, said: “We are so pleased to be able to share the opening programme for Sadler’s Wells East today. It reflects our vision for what we hope Sadler’s Wells East will be for many years: a cultural hub that has deep local roots, one that makes tangible national impact and has an international outlook. The season offers a kaleidoscope of dance styles, and there will be something for everyone. Whether you’ve visited one of our theatres many times before, or if this is your first introduction to Sadler’s Wells – you’ll get dance from every angle. Crucially, this is a space where dance can be created and shared, a space for the community to come and join in, and for dance artists to experiment and inspire the next generation.”

Britannia Morton, Executive Director and Co-Chief Executive of Sadler’s Wells, said: “Sadler’s Wells East is purpose built for dance and dance makers, we think it’s going to make such a difference. The building will contribute to a thriving local creative scene and the ecology of east London, we have committed to 50% of new roles going to residents from four local boroughs. We’re delighted to be collaborating with existing partners in the local area, including Stratford East, and our many community partners for the opening season. Accessibility is key to us, so we’re ensuring that 50% of all tickets across this season will be priced at £25 or less, with £10 tickets available to under 30s. Everyone is welcome, so please do come and join us in Stratford.”

Rob Jones, Associate Artistic Director of Sadler’s Wells, said:
“My hope is that this theatre will become a really vital part of the dance ecology: a place where the community, the professional and the social all collide together in one big, beautiful cocktail that ultimately brings people into dance and act as a catalyst for developing choreographers. This first season is a fantastic mix of work, and we’re really excited that many artists from across the UK and around the world will be making their Sadler’s Wells debuts with us in our new building – this is an extremely special moment and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “The announcement of Sadler’s Wells East’s opening programme is another huge milestone in the East Bank story. It will give dance in the capital a huge boost, with a wide range of productions to enjoy and fantastic opportunities for local performers to work alongside professional dancers. We are creating a powerhouse for innovation, creativity and learning at East Bank, and Sadler’s Wells East is a fantastic example of what it will achieve as we build a better London for everyone.”

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Main photo: Sadler's Wells East