“We must nurture dance as one of the few remaining things that still encourage us to move together, because within its very action, it carries a sense of compassion, of curiosity and of exchange.” – Akram

In the summer of 2018, we were joined by 39 dancers from all over the world in the studios at Sadler’s Wells for our very first Summer Intensive. What ensued in the five days they were with us, was not only the understanding in the philosophy and spirit of Akram’s work but also what each dance teacher bought with them. They offered their culture, their personal experience with the Company and a level of support that created a type of magic that can only be felt…

Our collaborator and longstanding Rehearsal Director Mavin Khoo led the week with a morning ballet class. Throughout each day, the dancers immersed themselves into the creative processes and learnt excerpts from some of Akram’s repertoire: Kaash, iTMOi, Vertical Road, Giselle and Until the Lions. With the direction of our highly experienced Company dance teachers, Andrej Petrovic, Kristina Alleyne, Nicola Monaco and Ching-Ying Chien, dancers were guided through an immersive journey.

For three evenings during the week, we created a space to share practical skills, discuss ideas and experiences for the group’s professional development. Our Dialogue Sessions welcomed XENOS writer Jordan Tannahill, XENOS and Giselle composer Vincenzo Lamagna and of course, Akram himself. Each of these sessions touched on topics that complimented some of the notions from the workshops in the day. Posing the right questions to each of our guests and the dancers, Mavin offered provocations that sparked some fascinating conversations.

In equal measure, the dancers and teachers support for one another made our first Summer Intensive truly exceptional.

Our photographer for the week, Julien Martinez Leclerc, captured some beautiful moments, whilst the videos you see at the bottom of this page were shot by Maxime Dos, who had provided us with the very essence of five, very special days.