Neighbours

Brigel Gjoka and Rauf Yasit come from Albanian and Kurdish cultures respectively. The dance traditions from which the two dancers work bring depth and relief to the performance Neighbours. Gjoka's background in contemporary dance gives his movements an amazing dynamism and suppleness; breakdancer Yasit constantly defies gravity with his moves. -|- The sheer variety of what they show in solos and duets is impressive. Often they dance together, their arms intertwined, inextricable, like a puzzle that has to be taken apart. A new choreographic language, somewhere on the crossroads of urban, classical and contemporary dance, emerges from diversity. At first abstract, later with more and more references to the cultural traditions from which they originate. The live music by the Kurdish musician Rusan Filiztek effortlessly connects what borders keep separated.

The makers of Neighbours got to know each other when they worked together in A Quiet Evening of Dance (2018) by William Forsythe, ‘a game of Twister for advanced players’ (Het Parool). Forsythe turned the ballet world upside down in the 1980s and beyond with deconstructions of classical ballet steps and poses. -|-In A Quiet Evening of Dance, Forsythe opened his toolbox, as it were; all the elements that make his style unique were present. It inspired Gjoka and Yasit to draw on his work in Neighbours, for which Forsythe himself provided advice.

A Sadler’s Wells Production
with the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels

Co-produced with PACT Zollverein Essen, Pôle européen de création - Ministère de la Culture/Maison de la Danse Lyon, Biennale de la danse de Lyon 2021, Cndc Angers, TAP – Théâtre Auditorium de Poitiers, Sydney Festival, Festival d’Automne à Paris; Chaillot – Théâtre national de la Danse, La Filature, Scène nationale de Mulhouse, Julidans Amsterdam, Théâtre de Liège, MC2: Maison de la Culture de Grenoble, Teatro municipal do Porto, KDF / Kalamata Dance Festival, Torinodanza Festival / Teatro Stabile di Torino - Teatro Nazionale and centre chorégraphique national de Caen en Normandie.

Choreographers and performers Brigel Gjoka & Rauf “RubberLegz” Yasit
Created in collaboration with William Forsythe
Composer & Musician Ruşan Filiztek, Accords Croisés 
Lighting Designer Zeynep Kepekli
Costume Designer Ryan Dawson Laight

Part I World Premiere 29 & 30 November 2019 at PACT Zollverein, Essen, Germany.
Full piece World Premiere 3 & 4 March 2022 at CNDC Angers, France.
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Technical Team
Touring Technical Manager Dan ‘DJ’ Johnson
Sound Engineer Patrick Dell

For Sadler’s Wells
Artistic Director & Chief Executive Alistair Spalding CBE
Executive Producer Suzanne Walker
Head of Producing & Touring Bia Oliveira
Producer Florent Trioux
Assistant Producer Molly Jones
Head of Production Adam Carrée
Technical Production Manager Pete Maxey
Marketing Manager Jordan Archer
Press Officer Laura Neil
Marketing and Communications Coordinator Zoe Innes
Producing & Touring Trainee Sahara Huang