The dance industry is one that operates on thin margins: for institutions, regular ticket sales are instrumental to keeping their doors open, while for practitioners, performances are often booked in 18 months ahead to ensure a source of income. In one fell swoop, however, all these performances were cancelled, imperilling countless jobs and the future of dance itself. Virtual performances have been coded and digital programmes put online, but for the real people in such a tactile industry, they have never been so far apart and so at risk.

In this talk, Alistair Spalding of Sadler’s Wells will talk about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the dance sector, the transformation of dance, and the role of dance in society. Then, dancer Fukiko Takase will discuss a new methodology of contemporary dance and her recent activities during lockdown.

Date: Friday 13 November 2020
UK Time: 12:00pm-1:00pm (GMT)
Japan Time: 9:00pm-10:00pm (GMT+9)

About the contributors

Alistair Spalding is Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Sadler’s Wells. He has been responsible for the artistic programme at Sadler’s Wells since February 2000, when he joined as Director of Programming, before becoming Artistic Director and Chief Executive in October 2004. Under his tenure, Sadler’ s Wells has become a world-leading dance house that offers an ambitious programme of dance in all its forms and presents first-class UK and international artists and companies. In 2005, Alistair announced that Sadler’s Wells was to become a producing house. He has since driven the commissioning, producing, and co-producing of more than 170 shows, including acclaimed cross-art form collaborations Sutra and m¡longa, and William Forsythe’s A Quiet Evening of Dance. Between 1994 and 2000, Alistair was Head of Dance and Performance at the Southbank Centre in London. In January 2019, he was honoured with a lifetime achievement award by the ISPA (International Society for the Performing Arts) in recognition of “unique lifetime achievement that has enriched the international performing arts”.

Fukiko Takase is an American-born Japanese contemporary dancer. Born in New York, she was raised in Japan by dancers Takako Takase and Katsuko Orita, growing up in studios and theatres. She received the Cultural Affairs Fellowship from the Japanese government study at Codarts Rotterdam Dance Academy and London Contemporary Dance School. She worked with Henri Oguike Dance Company, Company Wayne McGregor, and afterwards became an independent solo artist. Fukiko has been featured in dance films, commercials, and collaborated with artists including Olafur Eliasson, Goshka Macuga, Bertil Nilsson, Nick Knight, Ruth Hogben, Gareth Pugh, Dustin O’halloran, and Yaron Abulafia. She performed Yoko Ono’s Cut Piece, was featured in Thom Yorke’s music video ‘Ingenue’, and choreographed the music video ‘Forevermore’ by Hikaru Utada. She choreographed for and toured Japan with Hikaru Utada for her 20th-anniversary concert Laughter in the Dark Tour. During the lock down she performed as a guest dancer for a DistDancing canalside performance in London. Her signature work 1001 is scheduled to be performed in Tokyo in December. She continues to work between Tokyo, London, and across the world.

BOOK YOUR PLACE