New Adventures and Re:Bourne have announced an evening of dance to celebrate the life of Jonathan Ollivier, who died in August following a motorbike crash.
Ollivier had been due to perform in the The Car Man‘s final night at Sadler’s Wells, but died after his motorbike collided with a Mercedes car. The performance was subsequently cancelled.
The Car Man director Matthew Bourne had also worked with Ollivier on his productions of Swan Lake and Play Without Words. He said today: “Following the tragic events of the summer many colleagues and friends from across the dance industry expressed to us a desire to come together and celebrate Jonny’s life and also to provide some ongoing support to his young family.
“I’m thrilled that so many wonderful artists will come together in January to remember and celebrate Jonny’s career through a programme of exceptional dance”.
Mr Wonderful – A Celebration of Jonathan Ollivier’s Life in Dance will take place at Sadlers Wells on 18 January 2016 and the programme will include extracts from Bourne’s Swan Lake, The Car Man and Sleeping Beauty, as well as the rarely-seen Mr Wonderful.
The evening will also see performances from Northern Ballet and The Rambert School where Ollivier danced and trained. The McOnie Company will perform as well as Kevin and Karen Clifton from BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing.
The live programme will be performed by world-leading dancers, many of whom will be returning to the Sadler’s Wells stage in Ollivier’s memory. The evening will be interspersed with film clips and previously unseen footage in celebration of Ollivier’s talent and legacy.
All ticket income will be placed in charitable trust funds for Ollivier’s two young sons.