Nederlands Dans Theater 1, Sadler's Wells

The unmissable NetherlandsDans Theater  makes its much anticipated return to Sadler’s Wells after a long five-year absence.
Known to its many fans simply as NDT , this is one of the world’s foremost contemporary dance companies and one of the most innovative.   During its lifetime, it’s produced more new works per season than any other company.
Its roster of choreographers reads like a who’s who of modern dance and includes such luminaries as Hans van Manen, Jiri Kylian and Nacho Duato.
For its forthcoming visit to London, NDT brings two linked works by the Spanish-British duo Sol Léon and Paul Lightfoot neither of which has been seen in the UK before.
The first piece, Sehnsucht , relates to the German word, meaning “ longing ” or “ intense missing .”   Set largely to orchestral music by Beethoven , it’s about memory and the transformative power of love.
The theme is developed in the second half of the evening by Schmetterling , or butterfly, suggesting the transitional nature of human existence and the crossing of paths. Here a series of duets and trios map out a string of potential love stories to music by the indie rock band Magnetic Fields and their ’69 Love Songs’ as well as the contemporary composer Max Richter.
Though NDT’s work is firmly contemporary in outlook, the company’s dancers are all classically trained, and gloriously athletic physiques are the norm.
You can also expect to be wowed by the designs in sets and lighting. The company’s headquarters in The Hague were designed by the international star architect Rem Koolhaas – the best clue of all to the company’s theatrical taste.
Founded in 1959 as a breakaway from the Dutch National Ballet, NDT now includes two companies, NDT1, which we’re seeing in London, and their junior sibling, NDT2.