Sadler’s Wells East has officially opened in what was described as a “gamechanger” for dance in London.
Located in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, the new venue has a 550-seat auditorium, six state-of-the-art dance studios and a free public performance space.
Twenty productions showcasing work from locally-based artists as well as dance companies from across the United Kingdom and wider world are set to take place in its opening season.
The venue joins BBC Music Studios, V&A East, UAL’s London College of Fashion and UCL East as part of the new educational district, East Bank, which was established following the London 2012 Olympic Games.
It will also be home to two educational facilities: Academy Breakin’ Convention, a hip hop theatre school for 16–19-year-olds, and the Rose Choreographic School, an experimental research project.
All forms of dance, from hip hop to ballet, contemporary to kathak, are set to be performed there.
In the summer, it will host a two-week youth festival which will bring together the national youth dance companies of England, Scotland and Wales, and share choreographic creations made by young people.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, opened Sadler’s Wells East on Thursday.
He said it would be another “exciting milestone in the East Bank journey”.
“Renowned across the world as the UK’s leading dance institution, this brand-new venue will be a gamechanger for dance in the capital,” he said.
“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.”
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