The Turning World is a season at The Place this June exemplifying the extraordinary scope and breadth of international contemporary dance.  It is returning after an eight-year lapse as a renewed response to the distinctive qualities of the uncompromising choreography created beyond the UK’s borders, which remains underrepresented in London.

The Turning World was originally conceived by The Place Theatre Director John Ashford in 1990 as a decade’s worth of seasons providing a platform for dance artists from around the world who were then relatively unknown in Britain.  As a result, The Place presented some of the freshest and most innovative work from artists such as Alain Platel, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, Wim Vandekeybus, Meryl Tankard, Rui Horta and Sasha Waltz in the days before they enjoyed the wider profile of the international touring circuit.

The artists and companies of The Turning World this year have been singled out for their exceptional vision by the European Dancehouse Network, a consortium of commissioning venues in London, Paris, Oslo, Stockholm, Düsseldorf, Barcelona and Vienna, of which The Place is a founder member.  The performances will be complemented by a framework of events designed to provide context, including workshops for professional UK-based choreographers and dancers and post-show talks with the featured artists.