Sadler’s Wells, the UK’s leading dance house, will return to the Waterfront Stage at Latitude Festival for a ninth year this year, presenting a diverse programme of world-class dance from 14–17 July. Since 2008 Sadler’s Wells has been present at the festival, providing dance for around 58,000 people in total.
Opening the programme will be Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Hofesh Shechter’s company, performing tHE bAD, the middle section from Shechter’s most recent work, a trilogy called barbarians. Created during night-time rehearsals, this piece for five dancers is accompanied by a complex score of dubstep grooves alongside Shechter’s trademark percussive electronics. The movement, both joyous and trance-like, demonstrates Shechter’s choreography at its most energetic.
Another highlight is an excerpt from !Vamos Cuba! (Let’s Go Cuba!), choreographed by Nilda Guerra. !Vamos Cuba! is set in the chaos of Havana airport, where families are parted, lovers reunited and includes salsa, mambo, rumba, cha-cha-cha and reggaeton. It works to evoke the joys and vibrancy of Cuban life with all the passion and humour that embodies the Cuban spirit. Guerra began her professional career in 1993, and in 2001 she founded Ballet Rakatan, including performing at Sydney Opera House, New York City Center, Tokyo City Hall and Oslo Opera House.
Returning to Latitude for the third year is the National Youth Dance Company, the country’s flagship organisation for young dancers. They will perform a new creation by the company’s Guest Artistic Director Michael Keegan-Dolan, entitled In – Nocentes, set to Max Richter’s re-composition of The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi. It is a ritualistic piece with which Keegan-Dolan celebrates the natural and instinctive way in which young people can move and behave.
The line-up includes work from other leading figures in dance too, including one of the founding fathers of contemporary dance in the UK, Richard Alston. The Richard Alston Dance Company will present a double bill of work, including extracts from Sadler’s Wells commission Nomadic, danced to Shukar Collective’s fusion of gypsy and electronic music.