Choreographers: John-William Watson and Charlotte Öfverholm
The Company of Elders is Sadler’s Wells’ resident performance company. With dancers over the age of 60, these performances showcase how age is only a number. Performers still have the rhythm and groove of 20-year-olds. This show is part of the Elixir Festival 2026, a three-week-long season full of events showcasing ageing and creating numerous performances, talks and workshops with the purpose of understanding and celebrating our changing body and mind.
Both performances by the Company of Elders are around 20 minutes long. The first performance, They Look Like People, is choreographed by John-William Watson. The setting is a doctor’s waiting room where 20 or so individuals realise that one is not like the rest. This leads to them slowly revealing parts of themselves. The performance is accompanied by audio that is used to describe aspects of the story and individual characters. The dancers work well, timing their movements to the audio.
There are times, though, when the dancers themselves are meant to be in sync, whether through movement or vocally, and this does not always occur. In addition, the overhead audio sometimes accompanying the background music makes it harder to understand what the audio is saying.
The whole vibe changes for the second performance, Survival Kit. Gone are the smart and colourful outfits, and instead, the outfits are still bright but now more casual. This piece, by Swedish choreographer and dancer Charlotta Öfverholm, is more upbeat in terms of both music and dancing.
While this second piece is more lively, this does not take away from the serious nature it portrays. Fitting nicely with the first piece is having an actor express a memory from the past. Some are sad, others are funny or even of traumatic events, which the rest of the cast react to through dance.
This second work also focuses more on the performers, having them lead the narrative rather than by an audio. The messages of both performances are important regarding ageing, and the audience will walk away in awe over the performers’ love of dance. It is a joy to watch these dancers doing what they love and putting their whole heart and soul into the choreography.
Reviewed on 8 April 2026
