The Mariinsky Opera and Ballet

The Mariinsky Opera and Ballet toured the world for many years under the name of the Kirov. Now Sadler's Wells is delighted to host this world famous company for the first time in the theatre's history. Launching Sadler's Wells' Focus on Forsythe 08/09, the ballet company presents a programme of seminal works by William Forsythe. Steptext, set to Bach's Chaconne, is a series of duets performed by one woman and three men. Approximate Sonata combines five pas de deux with a thrilling score by Thom Willems. The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude is Forsythe's playful twist on the classical style, as the tutu-clad ballerinas move with fearsome velocity. Completing the Forsythe repertoire is the magnificent In the middle, somewhat elevated. The second programme features the UK premiere of Alexei Ratmansky's Pierrot Lunaire, presented at New York City Center earlier in 2008. Pierrot Lunaire was choreographed on Mariinsky prima ballerina Diana Vishneva, who dances this role again in London. The evening is completed by two of George Balanchine's timeless works - Apollo and The Prodigal Son – set to scores by two of the 20th Century's greatest Russian composers, Igor Stravinsky and Sergei Prokofiev.

Event Organiser:The Sadlers Wells
Event Type:Exhibitions
Address:Sadler
Specialisation:Dance
Postcode:EC1R 4TN
Website:www.sadlerswells.com
Event Name:The Mariinsky Opera and Ballet
Email:events@sadlerswells.com
Venue:Sadler's Wells Theatre
Phone:020 7863 8198
Fax 020 7863 8199
Start Date:13-10-2008
End Date:16-10-2008
Geocode:51.529355,-0.106228
Time:19:30 23:59
Price £49

The Mariinsky (Kirov) Opera

To mark the centenary this year of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908), Artistic Director Valery Gergiev brings The Mariinsky (Kirov) Opera's exquisite production of Rimsky's fairytale opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan to Sadler's Wells. The Tale of Tsar Saltan, based on a poem by Alexander Pushkin, was composed in 1900 as a centenary tribute to Russia's great poet. It was the first opera to be performed in Moscow in the 20th Century and, appropriately enough, Sadler’s Wells presented its UK premiere in 1933. This production was created in 2005, using opulent costumes and lavish sets based on the original fairytale sketches of Ivan Bilibin designed for the Russian premiere. The opera, featuring many of the company’s most outstanding young artists, includes characters such as the Swan Princess and the evil sorcerer Chernomor, plus the famous orchestral highlight Flight of the Bumblebee. This visit of the Mariinsky (Kirov) Opera and Ballet is presented in association with The Mariinsky Theatre Trust (UK).

Event Organiser:The Sadlers Wells
Event Type:Exhibitions
Address:Sadler
Specialisation:Poetry
Postcode:EC1R 4TN
Website:www.sadlerswells.com
Event Name:The Mariinsky Kirov Opera
Email:events@sadlerswells.com
Venue:Sadler's Wells Theatre
Phone:020 7863 8198
Fax:020 7863 8199
Start Date:17-10-2008
End Date:18-10-2008
Geocode:51.529355,-0.106228
Time:19:30 to 23:59
Price £70

Les Ballets C. de la B.

Les Ballets C. de la B. return to Sadler’s Wells with Aphasiadisiac – the final instalment in a trilogy of work by guest choreographer Ted Stoffer. Based in Ghent, Belgium, Les Ballets C. de la B. is a collective of choreographers renowned for presenting powerful, theatrical performances of startling, anarchic beauty. American-born Ted Stoffer, a former Rambert dancer and founder of Aphasia Dance Company, derived the title Aphasiadisiac from ‘aphasia’ (the inability to express or understand thought in spoken or written words) and ‘aphrodisiac’ (arousing the mood of sexual excitement). Focusing on issues of communication and human relationships and featuring a cast of five performers who each represent a member of his own family, Aphasiadisiac sees Ted Stoffer exploring the private languages and politics of love. Set to a soundtrack of pop, classical and traditional Czech music, plus live drumming, and set within a full-size onstage brick house (complete with furnishings), this promises to be a truly remarkable experience from one of Flander’s most important contemporary dance companies Les Ballets C. de la B.

Event Organiser:The Sadlers Wells
Event Type:Exhibitions
Address:Sadler
Specialisation:Dance
Postcode:EC1R 4TN
Website:www.sadlerswells.com
Event Name:Les Ballets C de la B
Email:events@sadlerswells.com
Venue:Lilian Baylis Studio
Phone:020 7863 8198
Fax:020 7863 8199
Start Date:17-10-2008
End Date:18-10-2008
Geocode:51.529355,-0.106228
Time:19:45 to 23:59
Price £12

Batsheva Dance Company

Founded in 1964 by Martha Graham, Batsheva Dance Company is well-known for its powerful combination of force, speed and passion. This autumn, Sadler’s Wells presents the UK premiere of artistic director Ohad Naharin’s stunning Three. Whether hurtling through space or assuming a precarious balance, the members of the Israel-based company are perfectly attuned to one another. Three continues Ohad Naharin’s ongoing fascination with the body and movement, using the company’s astonishing physical style to full effect - dancers contort and shimmy, strike improbable balances and move with fearsome velocity to a diverse soundtrack that ranges from Bach’s Goldberg Variations to an ethereal score by Brian Eno and The Beach Boys’ unbashedly joyus song You’re Welcome. Fusing elements of folk dance, martial arts and ballroom, Three is a bewitching display of choreographic extremes which have left audiences astounded where ever it has been seen.

Event Organiser:The Sadlers Wells
Event Type:Dances
Address:Sadler
Specialisation:Music
Postcode:EC1R 4TN
Website:www.sadlerswells.com
Event Name:Batsheva Dance Company
Email:events@sadlerswells.com
Venue:Sadler's Wells Theatre
Phone:020 7863 8198
Fax:020 7863 8199
Start Date:20-10-2008
End Date:21-10-2008
Geocode:51.529355,-0.106228
Time:19:30 to 23:59
Price £25