Widely acclaimed dance pioneers, BalletBoyz return to the stage this winter with England on Fire at Sadler’s Wells for four nights only from Wednesday 8 – Saturday 11 November 2023, with a Press Night on 8 November 2023.
Inspired by the groundbreaking artbook of the same name by Stephen Ellcock and Mat Osman, England on Fire will see over 40 collaborators across multiple disciplines including choreographers, composers, dancers and performers come together to create a unique kaleidoscope of mesmerising performance. BalletBoyz will bring together leading artists in their field for a performance featuring arresting visuals accompanied by live music from folk to punk and everything in-between and supported by a 3D soundscape for a truly immersive theatrical experience, allowing a sound-world to be choreographed to augment the movement on stage.
England on Fire will be an evocative journey into contemporary life that defies all expectation, seen through the eyes of an innocent observer. The production recounts a search for meaning amidst the challenges of life, modern, and ancient. Audiences are invited to get lost in elusive explorations of trust and betrayal, friendship and love, identity and loneliness, honour and redemption. Through an eclectic array of voices curated by Michael Nunn and Billy Trevitt, England on Fire is a genre-defying spectacle of political and artistic intrigue, with artists both new and returning to collaborating with BalletBoyz.
England on Fire will bring together some of dance’s leading choreographers for this one-off event including Edd Arnold, Lucy Bennett, Holly Blakey, Ola Ince, Shelley Maxwell, Russell Maliphant, Vidya Patel and Thick & Tight.
Acclaimed composers contributing to England On Fire include Gwilym Gold, Charlotte Harding, Keaton Henson, Cassie Kinoshi, Mukul and Joe Zeitlin. Performers Gag Salon and Kami Thompson will take to the stage alongside a company of exceptional dancers.
The BalletBoyz company for England on Fire will include dancers Edd Arnold, Harry Alexander, Tania Dimbelolo, Benji Knapper, Roseanna Lindsey, Luigi Nardone, Folu Odimayo, Sophie Ormiston, Oxana Panchenko, Artemis Stamouli, Meghan Stevens, Kai Tomioka, and Holly Vallis.
BalletBoyz founders, Michael Nunn and William Trevitt said; “With England on Fire, we’re doing what we love best: embracing the chaos of an eclectic group of collaborators without fear or inhibition.
“In pursuit of our lifelong ambition to redefine what performance can do, we have provided a stimulus to artists to explore the experience of the marginalised, and it has been exciting to see the diverse range of interpretations that have been created.
“We realised that we no longer wanted to second-guess every element of making new productions for fear of getting it wrong; instead, we are following our instincts and presenting an extraordinary cultural event that exemplifies a confident England, on fire with talent, ambition, potential and rebellion. (But no cash).”
