Rosas Early Works Fase, Four Movements

Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker is one of the most influential European choreographers of the last 30 years. Working with film, music and theatre, she has been lauded by critics and attracted a popular following for her hypnotically beautiful, minimalist choreography.

Sadler's Wells has enjoyed a strong relationship with Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and her pioneering dance company Rosas since the company had its first performances here in 2002. The Early Works project is a look back at four of their past works, which represent the early period in De Keersmaeker's career.

Characterised by a pared down movement vocabulary and the honing of dance elements to a pure minimum, these works made De Keersmaeker a dance sensation when they were first performed in the 1980s, and have since turned her into one the most important dance-makers of her generation.

Over four performances, this retrospective lets audiences enjoy some rarely seen pieces and experience the talent in the making of this groundbreaking choreographer.

De Keersmaeker's most frequently performed work, Fase consists of three duets and one solo, choreographed to four repetitive compositions by the American minimalist composer, Steve Reich. Just as Reich allows his tones to gradually shift in rhythm and melody, the same phase-shifting principle is applied to the choreography. The purely abstract movements are executed so perfectly that they appear almost mechanical and yet their entrancing effect is deeply touching.