Sadler’s Wells Young Associates Mixed Bill

Sadler’s Wells presents the first public sharing of new work by the 2023/24 Young Associates BLUE MAKWANA, Elisabeth Mulenga, Maiya Leeke and Roseann & Sula in the Lilian Baylis Studio this November. The evening comprises four duets created by the young choreographers and showcases each dance artist’s distinct and diverse voice as they take the next step in their choreographic careers.

The Young Associates programme also aims to support young creatives alongside the choreographers. Lighting Designer Amelia Hawkes will create an exciting and atmospheric lighting design to complement the new voices being represented on stage.

The new cohort includes Maiya Leeke, whose work is rooted in her background as a jazz saxophonist and discovering a physical language of hope. She was a finalist on BBC Young Dancer in 2022 and was a dancer in Greta Gerwig’s box-office record-breaking film Barbie.

BLUE MAKWANA is a London-based choreographer who fuses different dance styles to focus in on specific stimulus such as hairstyles and how they’re portrayed in the media. MAKWANA was in the fourth cohort of National Youth Dance Company (NYDC).

Elisabeth Mulenga is a dance artist whose work is at once unflinching, tender, and intimate, and takes inspiration from film directors to explore the human psyche. Mulenga is an alumnus of the eighth cohort of NYDC and won the Choreographic Innovation Award in the final of BBC Young Dancer 2022.

Roseann & Sula are a dance theatre duo who draw on phenomenological research to create work about the human experience, with a particular focus on the intersections of gender politics, Scottish identity, religion and class.

The Young Associates programme supports talented 18-24-year-olds and 18-30 for d/Deaf and disabled choreographers for two years, providing a crucial first step into their career as choreographers. The young artists will develop their practice over the course of the programme, and these presentations in the Lilian Baylis Studio will be followed by performances at Sadler’s Wells East in autumn 2024.

Additionally, each Young Associate has worked alongside the photographer and filmmaker Camilla Greenwell to create a moving portrait that gives an insight into the artists’ individual styles and choreographic identities. These films will be released on Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage ahead of the performances in the Lilian Baylis Studio on Monday 6 November here: https://www.sadlerswells.com/digital-stage/

Lucy Clarke-Bishop, Producer for Young Associates said: “We are proud to support these exciting emerging artists as part of the Young Associates Programme. Each of them brings a unique perspective on dance and performance and the Lilian Baylis Studio works will be an opportunity to proudly introduce them to our audiences.”