Subject to Change: A Dance for David Bowie will explore how the musician ‘practised a form of artistic reincarnation’, says choreographer Marcos Morau.
“Let’s dance,” sang David Bowie in 1983, commanding: “Put on your red shoes and dance the blues.” That call is to be answered – with footwear TBC – by an international dance production featuring new choral arrangements of songs from throughout his career.
Upcoming Performances
Subject to Change: A Dance for David Bowie will be staged at Sadler’s Wells in London in autumn 2028 after a world premiere in Luxembourg. It will visit Tokyo in 2029.
Artistic Vision
The show will explore how Bowie “practised a form of artistic reincarnation,” according to Spanish choreographer Marcos Morau, who is taking inspiration from the superstar’s transformations into personas such as Aladdin Sane and the Thin White Duke.
““One of the greatest dangers for an artist is ending up resembling themselves too much,” said Morau. “Bowie turned change into a way of remaining true to himself. That inspires me deeply. I believe every new work should force us to let go of some certainty. Art shouldn’t serve to confirm who we are, but rather to accept that life transforms us, that we change over time, and that our own contradictions help us grow.”
Orchestrations of pop and rock classics have powered recent hit dance productions such as Black Sabbath: The Ballet and a reworking of The Who’s Quadrophenia, bringing in new audiences. In Subject to Change, Bowie’s songs will be interwoven with choral sounds from around the world and the voice of Spanish singer Maria Arnal.
““I’m not interested in reproducing Bowie or creating a nostalgic tribute,” said Morau, who wants to explore “what happens when his songs leave behind the voice we all know and travel towards other voices, other cultures and other generations.”
By employing different choral traditions, he hopes to “transform something deeply individual into a collective experience. I like to think that a work of art remains alive as long as we are able to transform it, and that perhaps the best way to remain faithful to Bowie is to dare to change him.”
