Sadler’s egalitarian aims for dance also embrace a dedication to outreach, its existing learning and engagement programmes connecting with some 30,000 people yearly. Rob Jones has been associate artistic director since 2022, and underlines that inclusion and representing a multitude of dance styles are priorities, not just for the new venue but for the future of the art form.

“I think it’s extremely important to support a broad range of dance artists, styles and scales,” he told me over email. “When possible, there should be programmes that meet artists where they are at, and provide opportunities that enable them to participate in the wider dance ecology. My ambition for Sadler’s Wells East is for this to be a stage for artists to experiment and expand the meaning of what dance can be. The new building will bring the public a lot closer to the making of dance on a daily basis. My hope is that there will be a stronger cohesion between community, and social and professional dance, and we help reinforce the truth that dance belongs to everyone.”

The debut season will open with “Our Mighty Groove,” conceived by Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu, founder of the London-based touring company Uchenna Dance. Igbokwe-Ozoagu has a history of guiding and teaching fledgling dancers, and worked as a Mass Movement Choreographer for the 2012 Olympic Games among other large-scale events. For her launch show, she has brought in young people from east London, cast through an open call, to perform alongside professionals in a “celebration of the dance floor” that will fuse African, club and contemporary styles. 

Igbokwe-Ozoagu also believes what Sadler’s Wells East is doing is vital: “I’m passionate about giving people opportunities to thrive and learn about themselves,” she says over email. “I was given great opportunities in my younger years by mentors and people who saw something in me, so it’s important for me to pay it back. Through this collaboration with Sadler’s Wells, I’ve been able to do that. It’s a real confidence boost, because as an artist you need to have practical spaces to develop and find your identity. A venue like [this] gives me the chance to explore my creativity. The support and facilities allow me to have the courage to think outside of the box.”

Later in the season, honouring its promise to give smaller regional and international companies the chance to perform in the capital, Sadler’s Wells East will host productions by, to name a few, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s young BRB2 company; the acclaimed Aakash Odedra Company from Leicester; Irish choreographer Emma Martin; and, from the US, New York’s Trajal Harrell and LA-based bharatanatyam artist Mythili Prakash. In July, the theatre will also launch the YFX Youth Festival, a new annual event to showcase young dance talent from across the UK.

For many, entering Sadler’s Wells East could prove career-shifting. The neon ‘You Are Welcome’ sign above the front door sets the tone for the venue’s mission—to be a dance house for all, and a game-changing space for making compelling work of all shapes and forms.