Sadlers Wells East / O’Donnell + Tuomey

Commissioned by Shelia O’Donnell and John Toumey in Autumn 2025.

The brief was to include movement, with my experience shooting dance and architecture it was a perfect commission for me. With the help of Freddie Todd Fordham and Ab Shemi from Sadlers Wells East, it was arranged that I would be able to collaborate with some of the groups which use the studios.

My assistant Katrina Duffey and I used some subtle extra lighting to create some soft shadows on the dancers. Using Nanlux 1200b with a dome.

Sadler’s Wells East is a place for performance, learning and production – an expansion of the facilities of the famous dance theatre in Islington, north London. Its six studios enable shows to be rehearsed and put together before they are taken to the mothership. It will house the Rose Choreographic School, where students undertake two-year research projects, and Academy Breakin’ Convention, which offers 16- to 19-year-olds full-time education in hip-hop theatre. Sadler’s Wells East’s 550-seat auditorium has exactly the same sized stage as the 1,500-seat Islington theatre, such that productions can be moved seamlessly from one to the other.