Dancing Nation was originally scheduled to broadcast on 14 January 2021; it will now be available on 28 January 2021 in order for the broadcast to be compliant with new coronavirus guidelines
Sadler’s Wells and BBC Arts announce details of a special new collaboration celebrating the UK’s outstanding dance talent as it returns to the stage, in an all-day digital, live and pre-recorded broadcast, Dancing Nation.
A festival of world-class dance taking place at Sadler’s Wells, Dancing Nation is streamed on BBC iPlayer for audiences in the UK and on Sadler’s Wells’ website for viewers outside the UK, throughout the day on Thursday 14 January 2021. The event features a series of new works and audience favourites from a diverse and thrilling line up of the UK’ s best-loved dance artists. All performances are staged and filmed in strict compliance with current Covid-19 health and safety guidelines.
The programme includes big-name dancers and choreographers alongside breakthrough talent across ballet, contemporary and hip-hop dance styles, including works from Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, English National Ballet, Royal Ballet principal dancer Natalia Osipova, Boy Blue, Shobana Jeyasingh Dance, Akram Khan, Rambert and more.
Supported by Arts Council England, Dancing Nation features fifteen live or pre-recorded performances, artists inhabiting spaces throughout Sadler’s Wells, across its stages, studios and foyer spaces in an all-day ‘take-over’ of the building. The event will be streamed at three points throughout the day in hour-long segments. Each episode will be hosted by BBC presenter Brenda Emmanus, introducing the performances and interviewing artists. After the initial broadcast, each programme will be available for 30 days on BBC iPlayer for audiences in the UK and on Sadler’s Wells website for those outside the UK, followed by a 90-minute highlights programme which is available for 12 months.
Dancing Nation starts with the first segment streaming live from Sadler’s Wells at 10.30 am GMT on Thursday 14 January, with two more programmes following at 1.30 pm GMT and 4.30 pm GMT. Full programme details for each episode will be released in the new year.
Alistair Spalding, Artistic Director and CEO of Sadler’s Wells said: ‘We’re really looking forward to starting the New Year as we mean to go on, by partnering with incredible artists to bring you world-class performances in Dancing Nation. The event is a showcase of the breadth of dancers and choreographers making work in the UK today, and a celebration of their talent to inspire us to look forward to 2021 with renewed optimism. We hope that audiences all around the world will join with us at points throughout the day to watch the event and enjoy some of the artists and performances we have been missing this year. We thank our partners at BBC Arts and Arts Council England for their continued support, collaboration and commitment to artists and arts audiences, which have made ambitious projects like Dancing Nation possible.’
