East London Dance, English National Ballet, Sadler’s Wells and Studio Wayne McGregor announce new collaboration as East London shapes up to become a world-leading hub for dance

We’re thrilled to announce a new collaborative initiative with English National Ballet, Sadler’s Wells and Studio Wayne McGregor. Together we are driving a shared vision for East London to become a world-leading hub for dance.

East London has long been a breeding ground for talent, particularly in hip hop, with internationally renowned companies such as Boy Blue Entertainment and our previous associate company Avant Garde Dance originating here.

East London Dance has been based in Stratford for almost three decades and we’re soon to be joined by Studio Wayne McGregor who will open their new home in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Here East at the start of 2017; English National Ballet and English National Ballet School, who will unite in a new purpose-built home in Canning Town in 2018 and Sadler’s Wells, who will open an additional venue in East London in 2021, on the Stratford Waterfront site as part of the Olympicopolis project.

By 2021, within a couple of miles of Stratford, there will be:

  • 16 new dance studios
  • 2 production studios
  • A new 600-seat dance theatre
  • 2 internationally renowned touring dance companies
  • A Hip Hop Academy, a Ballet School and Choreographic School

These new facilities will join an already vibrant dance sector, spearheaded by East London Dance since their formation in 1987.

Polly Risbridger, Director of East London Dance, said:

“It’s an incredibly exciting time for dance in East London with the imminent arrival of these world class facilities. But buildings are only part of the picture. It is the people, the artists, the producers, the educators, the dancers that will make East London a world-leading hub for dance. And this is what East London Dance can bring to this exciting collaboration – the very best talent who are innovating and pushing the artform we all love, and hungry for opportunity. I look forward to working closely with the incoming organisations to strengthen and grow the dance offer here and to open up the most amazing array of opportunities.”

You can find out more information by downloading the full press release here.

See the Evening Standard’s press coverage of our our announcement here