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The Center Will Not Hold A Dorrance Dance Production

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Ten performers wearing black and stretching their arms out in different gestures.

Phenomenal footwork in a genre-breaking celebration


The Center Will Not Hold is born from “a little room”, a short duet created and performed in December 2022 by Ephrat Asherie and Michelle Dorrance, who was featured last on the Sadler’s Wells stage in 2023 in the hit show Turn It Out with Tiler Peck & Friends. This expanded and reimagined work now includes a collective of singular performers deeply rooted in one or many of the following street, club, and social dances: house, breaking, hip hop, tap dance, Chicago footwork, Detroit jit, litefeet, Memphis jookin, and body percussion.

Featuring original music composed by Donovan Dorrance, with live percussion by world class drummer/percussionist, John Angeles, The Center Will Not Hold marks the first Dorrance Dance Production. The piece launches the company into a new stage of supporting the development and touring of new works that continue to deepen the relationship between tap dance and the forms that have a direct relationship to its lineage. A fusion of rhythm, culture and movement, experience the evolution of dance in this groundbreaking performance.

Header image © Christopher Duggan

Header image description: Ten performers wearing black and standing infront of a black background. They each stand at different heights with arms outstretched in different gestures.

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Angel

The work explores themes of isolation, community and solidarity… There was pain there, yes, but also so much joy.
THE OBSERVER

11 performers packed three hours’ worth of creative and intelligent energy into just 60 minutes.
THE BOSTON GLOBE

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Performances

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Sadler's Wells Theatre

Post-show talk
Members of the company and creative team in conversation with Sir Alistair Spalding CBE. Free to same performance ticket holders. BSL interpreted.

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From: £15.00
Sadler's Wells Theatre
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80% Availability
Good Availability