David Bowie Dance Show to Premiere at Sadler's Wells — SkimNews
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- Subject to Change: A Dance for David Bowie will world-premiere in Luxembourg before staging at Sadler's Wells in London in autumn 2028, with a Tokyo run scheduled for 2029.
- Marcos Morau, the Spanish choreographer directing the production, said he is 'not interested in reproducing Bowie or creating a nostalgic tribute' and will draw on alter egos including Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, and the Thin White Duke.
- Bowie songs will be interwoven with choral traditions from around the world, with vocals from Spanish singer Maria Arnal and musical direction by Alex Röser Vatiché and Ben Meerwein.
- The show is co-produced by Sadler's Wells, Bunkamura in Japan, and La Veronal, with sets by Max Glaenzel and costumes by Silvia Delagneau.
- Morau's recent credits include 'Horses' (2024) for Nederlands Dans Theater and 'Étude' performed by the Paris Opera Ballet earlier this year — both built around unconventional staging elements like giant lamp posts and a replica Palais Garnier chandelier.
- The promotional image uses Kansai Yamamoto's black vinyl 'Tokyo Pop' jumpsuit, designed for Bowie to wear as Ziggy Stardust in 1973.
Why it matters: The show extends a commercial trend of rock-to-ballet adaptations — Black Sabbath: The Ballet and a Quadrophenia rework already proved the formula — and arrives at Sadler's Wells with Tokyo dates in 2029, signaling dance programmers' confidence that rock catalogs can anchor full-length productions a decade after Bowie's death. The Bunkamura co-production specifically locks in Japanese venues built around Yamamoto's Ziggy-era designs.
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