VORTEX to Bring HUMANHOOD Back to Sadler's Wells East This Autumn

Following a sell-out run of ∞ {Infinite} in Sadler's Wells East's inaugural season, international powerhouse dance company HUMANHOOD will return this autumn with Vortex. Vortex is the new dance production from founders Julia Robert and Rudi Cole, where the stage becomes the 'eye of the tornado.' Performances will run Tuesday 10 – Saturday 14 November 2026.

Originally conceived as a journey from darkness to light, the piece explores the physical and energetic phenomenon of a vortex, and how we as human beings can activate deep reserves of unexplored resilience to adapt and transform ourselves in the midst of chaos. It was selected as one of the best performances of 2025 by the European Dance Magazine SuzyQ.

The cast of 7 synchronise with a cinematic soundscape that resonates throughout the auditorium, immersing the audience in the pulse of the dance. The work of the company includes field research and cultural collaboration with artists and elders from around the world, in particular East Asia. Featuring concept, direction, choreography and set design by Julia Robert and Rudi Cole, music by Alex Forster, Iain Armstrong, Julia Robert and Rudi Cole, and lighting design by Aiden Bromley, Vortex takes both dancers and audience to the limits of human endurance.

Julia Robert and Rudi Cole, founders of HUMANHOOD, said: HUMANHOOD was born from a simple question: what becomes possible when we stop trying to control the body and begin to listen to it? Over the years, that question has grown into an artistic and educational practice exploring movement not only as performance, but as a way of encountering ourselves, each other, and the life that moves through us. VORTEX is an invitation to experience movement as a living force rather than something to observe from a distance. We hope audiences leave not only having witnessed a performance, but feeling more connected—to themselves, to each other, and to the invisible relationships that hold us all.

Based in Birmingham and Barcelona, HUMANHOOD was founded in 2016. That same year, the company received its first awards at choreographic competitions in Madrid and Hanover. HUMANHOOD fuses physicality and spirituality through a unique movement language, distinguished by its exquisite fluidity and powerful sense of rhythm. The award-winning work of Julia Robert and Rudi Cole has been performed worldwide at prestigious festivals including the Venice Biennale, CINARS in Montreal, Festival Grec in Barcelona, and PAMS in Seoul. Their creations have also been featured by the BBC and Arte.