An e-mail from our good friends at Sadler's Wells. This snap shot of what's happening at the two London theatres they operate shows the breadth of their contribution to the London dance scene, from some of the biggest names worldwide to support for the local community in Islington.<P>Three cheers for Sadler's Wells! <P><BR><B>SADLER'S WELLS HIGHLIGHTS</B><P>- Julio Bocca and Video Clip <BR>- The Cossacks are coming to town - special meal deal <BR>- Art Exhibition at the Peacock <BR>- Video Clip and online chat for Random Dance Company <BR>- Dance workshop offer for Islington Dance Festival <BR>- Latest full programme details for NDT1 <BR>- Pina Bausch - after the event <P><BR>JULIO BOCCA <BR>Peacock Theatre <BR>20 - 23 February <P>Former principal with the Kirov and current principal with American Ballet Theatre, Julio Bocca and his Ballet Argentino make their London debut having reached superstar status in his native Argentina with an infectious mixed bill of contemporary dance. "A joy to watch" New York Times<P>Make sure you don't miss the VIDEO CLIP: <A HREF="http://www.sadlerswells.com/peacock/spring2002/bocca.asp?eid=010206&pid=257962" TARGET=_blank>http://www.sadlerswells.com/peacock/spring2002/bocca.asp?eid=010206&pid=257962</A> <P>************************************<P>LINDSAY KEMP <BR>Peacock Theatre <BR>Until - 9 February <BR>There are just a couple more days to catch Lindsay Kemp's imaginatively memorable show Dreamdances. And visitors to the show will have the opportunity to also catch an exhibition of Holly Warburton work, the artist who created the image used in the publicity. For links to reviews (3 stars from the Guardian) and more information about Holly Warburton on the website<BR> <A HREF="http://www.sadlerswells.com/peacock/spring2002/kemp.asp?eid=020107&pid=257962" TARGET=_blank>http://www.sadlerswells.com/peacock/spring2002/kemp.asp?eid=020107&pid=257962</A> <P>************************************<P>COSSACKS DANCE ENSEMBLE <BR>Peacock Theatre <BR>22 February - 16 March <BR>Just on sale - the Russian Cossack State Song and Dance Ensemble, the toast of the Edinburgh Tattoo and Fringe, makes its London debut with an exhilarating blend of traditional dance, music, song and whirlwind gymnastics! Also, find out about a special Schnapps Meal Deal:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.sadlerswells.com/peacock/spring2002/cossacks.asp?eid=020107&pid=257962" TARGET=_blank>http://www.sadlerswells.com/peacock/spring2002/cossacks.asp?eid=020107&pid=257962</A> <P>************************************<P>RANDOM DANCE COMPANY <BR>1 - 2 March <BR>Sadler's Wells <BR> <BR>Sadler's Wells' company in residence is getting ready to present the London Premier of its latest piece NEMESIS. Recorded live last weekend in Birmingham we have an extract from the work to download and play. If you have never seen Random's work this is a great way to sample the exciting choreography by Wayne McGregor:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.sadlerswells.com/whats_on/spring2002/random.asp?eid=010206&pid=257962" TARGET=_blank>http://www.sadlerswells.com/whats_on/spring2002/random.asp?eid=010206&pid=257962</A> <P>You can also chat online with Wayne McGregor on the 28th February when he will be visiting the offices of londondance.com. Sign up for a reminder or find out more information on the londondance.com website<BR> <A HREF="http://www.londondance.com/chat.asp" TARGET=_blank>www.londondance.com/chat.asp</A> <P>*************************************<P>ISLINGTON DANCE FESTIVAL <BR>11 - 23 March <BR>Lilian Baylis Theatre <BR>Islington Dance Festival is back with an enticing programme of workshops, parties and performances. Don't miss the Special Offer - 1 workshop & 1 Performance for £12.50/ £10. Find out who's appearing in this packed programme: <BR> <A HREF="http://www.sadlerswells.com/islingtondance.asp?eid=010206?pid=257962" TARGET=_blank>http://www.sadlerswells.com/islingtondance.asp?eid=010206?pid=257962</A> <P>*************************************<P>NDT1 PROGRAMME UPDATE <BR>18 - 22 June <BR>Sadler's Wells <BR>Jirí Kylián's acclaimed Bella Figura replaces Wings of Wax <BR>We have the full programme details of the company's visit in the summer <A HREF="http://www.sadlerswells.com/whats_on/spring2002/ndt.asp?eid=010206&pid=257962" TARGET=_blank>http://www.sadlerswells.com/whats_on/spring2002/ndt.asp?eid=010206&pid=257962</A> <P>*************************************<P>Make sure you don't miss out ... <P>Last week Pina Bausch was the hottest ticket in London with people queuing around the theatre for returned tickets. Many celebrities turned up for the first night and you can see some of the photos on the website<BR> <A HREF="http://www.sadlerswells.com/home/pina_party.asp?eid=010206&pid=257962" TARGET=_blank>http://www.sadlerswells.com/home/pina_party.asp?eid=010206&pid=257962</A> <P>If you missed this wonderful show make sure in future you are the first to receive our season brochure and take full advantage of our priority booking allocation by joining the Friends. To find out more about the benefits and join online go to<BR> <A HREF="http://www.sadlerswells.com/memberships/default.asp?eid=010206&pid=257962" TARGET=_blank>http://www.sadlerswells.com/memberships/default.asp?eid=010206&pid=257962</A> <P><p>[This message has been edited by Stuart Sweeney (edited February 07, 2002).]

Article in The Financial Times on the successful branding and marketing strategies that Sadlers Wells have performed.<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>WHEN Ian Albery, the outgoing chief executive of Sadler's Wells, looks back on his eight-year tenure, he will not only be pleased by the north London theatre's brand new building, its Pounds 42m Lottery grant and an enviable artistic and financial turnaround, but also by the way he has given the Wells, as it is known to aficionados, a new visual identity and strengthened its marketing capabilities.<P><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><A HREF="http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/article.html?id=020219001151&query=ballet" TARGET=_blank> <B> MORE </B> </A>

Thanks for this Joanne. Sadler's Wells ia a remarkable success story. Artistically, performances there won both the dance awards at the recent Oliviers and I'm delighted to hear that the one-time precarious financial position has been resolved. <P>It is a wonderful asset for dance fans and we all owe Ian Albery and his team a great debt of gratitude for the riches they place before us. I hope Albery does find another tough Arts nut to crack.

The staff at Sadler's Wells are extremely helpful and courteous whichever of the offices you deal with.

IAN ALBERY
Despite being descended from a grand theatrical lineage, the chief executive of Sadler's Wells has worked hard on his career, writes Jeremy Austin in The Stage.


Where does one start when writing about Ian Albery? The out-going chief executive of Sadler's Wells has not only lived a life filled with so many theatrical anecdotes that it probably makes Ned Sherrin salivate, he has also achieved an awful lot.

But then he comes from a family that has achieved an awful lot too. He is possibly one of last major figures in a London theatrical dynasty that stretches over three centuries and has contributed to the construction and operation of some of the capital's best-loved venues.

His great-grandfather was Charles Moore, promoter for the Royal Victoria Hall and father of Mary Moore, who married Charles Wyndham and raised the money to build the Wyndham's and New Theatres.

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<small>[ 10-16-2002, 11:06: Message edited by: PressUK ]</small>

Rupert Christiansen's views on the events at Sadler's over the past two years accord almost exactly with my own. I would go one step further and point out that of the two big events planned by Chopin, both were lyric theatre rather than dance and was backed up by his various vision statements for the theatre. This move away from Sadler's traditional strength seemed ill-judged.

Interesting to hear that he was rubbishing his predecessors at the job interview as this attitude came across loud and clear in his interviews and made my blood boil. Sadler's is a big success story in British dance of the past 5 years and under Spalding and Sharp I hope it can get fully back on track. Thankfully Spalding's steadying hand through the Choplin era has meant that we have still enjoyed high quality dance, just not as much as we might have done.