Phoenix Dance Company returns to the East Bank venue as artistic director Marcus Jarrell Willis curates a quartet of works for 2026
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Collaboration is the word at the heart of Interplay, a series of works set to be presented at Sadler’s Wells East in June.
Leeds-based Phoenix Dance Company returns to the East Bank venue, following the sell-out success of Inside Giovanni’s Room last year, to showcase a programme of four pieces.
“Interplay is all about artistic expression – what we wanted to do was to produce works that were varied and that ask what it means to express ourselves in different ways with specific reference to the idea of duality,” said Marcus Jarrell Willis, artistic director at Phoenix.
“The key is in the title we’ve given the show – it’s a way for us to remember that, while this is a dance programme with a unified theme, we don’t always have to take everything so seriously.
“Yes, there are meaningful messages in the different works featured, but it’s also about simply offering a full palette of dance so audiences can take what they want from it.
“I don’t have any intention of trying to prove anything with that, I just want it to be something that people can connect to.
“People may love all the works, just one or none of them.
“I just hope those watching feel something, that they are impacted by what they see and that they receive something.”
choosing the works
For Interplay, Phoenix, which operates as a rep company, will present Marcus’ Next Of Kin, Ed Myhill’s Why Are People Clapping?!, Travis Knight and James Pett’s Small Talk and a new collaboration between Marcus and choreographer Yusha-Marie Sorzano entitled Suite Release.
Some are duets while others are ensemble works.
Marcus said: “The programme actually came together quite seamlessly.
“With one selected, immediately it tapped into my brain and I’d think of a complementary work to go with it – it all gelled.
“Small Talk came first – I’d been following Travis and James’ work already, connected and had a conversation.
“A year prior to them creating, I just invited them into the studio to have a jam session, to play and to see how they related, with no real expectation.
“Straight after that, there was something there, which led me to commission the work.
“I’d seen Ed Myhill’s piece years before in different iterations.
“He grew up in Leeds and has been a dancer for a long time in the National Dance Company Of Wales.
“When I first came to the UK to focus more on creating dance I was based in Cardiff and I’d viewed Why Are People Clapping?! digitally during lockdown and then seen it on stage.
“It’s set to Steve Reich’s Clapping Music, so people’s hands are the driving force that create the rhythm for the dancers.
“It’s really interesting to see something so unusual, but also about who is coming to our company.
“I’ve known Ed for a long time and I knew he’d bring a great energy to our studio and the culture of Phoenix.
“From there, I knew I wanted to restage Next Of Kin, which I choreographed and originally danced with a dear friend many years ago.
“I was quite precious about it at first, but I realised I wanted it to be reimagined with this company because there are such special relationships between the dancers and this is a work that draws on those.”
a step into the unknown
“Finally, there’s Suite Release, which has been an incredible project. It’s my first time co-creating,” said Marcus.
“I’ve cooperated on many projects but never with another choreographer and it was about recognising that, while I have responsibilities and expectations, I’m still learning as well.
“So, I dug deep into what that might look like, picked up the phone and called Yusha-Marie. We have a 25-year-plus journey together.
“We danced together and have been friends for many years and we have seen each other grow.
“I wanted to make sure that it was with someone who I felt comfortable with but who would still push me and that I could push.
“We’d spent all these years in different companies, continuously trying to enhance and perfect our crafts, with all these different styles and techniques.
“Our piece is about why we started dancing in the first place.
“She was a young girl, born in Trinidad who migrated to Miami, with her dad DJ-ing and I grew up in Houston, Texas with hip hop, r’n’b, house music and soul.
“I danced at the barbecues with my family and that’s where the moving started.
“So Suite Release is a big party.
“It allows the dancers to break free from all expectations.
“They know it’s on stage, but they have to dance like there’s nobody watching.
“Collaborating was really great, actually and I will admit I was a bit nervous.
“I hoped it wouldn’t ruin a friendship, but many of our ideas just pinged off each other.
“We do have our own singular ways of approaching our practice as creators, but we have a common goal.
“It was nice to be in the studio and work in that way.
“One of the other really lovely things was that the dancers in the company got to see me in a different light.
“We work and play hard in the studio, and so we always have openness.
“Having someone come from my beginnings into the space allowed them to see young Marcus hanging out with a friend, which then opened them up and made them more ready to go.
“It’s amazing and the four dancers have really held that essence throughout the tour we’ve taken Interplay on.
“It’s also been an experience that’s made me want to collaborate more.
“Even now I’m tapping into colleagues and friends that are trying to be involved in the more dramaturgical side of things.
“I feel I’ve opened up a whole new layer on how we, as a company, can collaborate too – we know how to bring creative people into the room, but what happens when we start producing?”
key details: Interplay
Interplay is set to run at Sadler’s Wells East for four performances from June 24-27, 2026.
Shows start at 7.30pm and last an hour and 50 minutes including an interval. Tickets start at £15.
Find out more about the show here
Read more: How Wharf Wellness is back with a packed programme in June 2026
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