Irish choreographer severs links with Sadlers Wells Theatre over Palestine and Barclays

Irish choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan, Artistic Director of Teaċ Daṁsa dance company, has issued a statement ending his association with London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre because of its partnership with Barclays, which is a target of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement for its investments in Israel and Israel-linked companies.

Michael Keegan-Dolan: no more

In a powerful statement, Keegan-Dolan wrote:

Over the years, I have come to understand my work as a way of exploring what it means to be human and to be in relation with others. This understanding has led me to make a difficult but necessary decision.

I can no longer remain affiliated with Sadler’s Wells, particularly in light of the Theatre’s partnership with Barclays and the lack of meaningful institutional response to the concerns raised around it. Barclays’ connections to the arms trade and to an Israeli government engaged in grave human rights violations, most tragically in Gaza, are impossible to ignore.

As an Irish artist, this carries added weight. The legacy of colonial violence shapes how we see the world and our responsibility within it.

This decision follows extensive reflection and consultation with Sadler’s Wells leadership, the Teaċ Daṁsa board and team, my collaborators, and my conscience. I’m grateful for the respectful working relationship I’ve had with many at Sadler’s Wells over the years, and for the opportunities we’ve shared.

The performances of How to Be a Dancer in Seventy-Two Thousand Easy Lessons this week will be Teaċ Daṁsa’s final presentation of work at Sadler’s Wells. Unless there is a meaningful shift in position by the institution, The Only Tune, created in March 2020 and scheduled for November as part of a triple bill, will mark the end of my contribution as an Associate Artist.

As artists, we don’t get to choose the world we live in, but we do get to choose where we stand and how we respond.

I stand with those calling for justice, dignity, and peace for the Palestinian people.

Michael Keegan-Dolan
September 2025

Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist, 2011–2025

Last year, famous French choreographer Maguy Marin accused Sadlers Wells of “censorship” after the theatre’s management stopped her reading out a statement on stage urging artists to raise awareness of Israel’s “ongoing genocidal acts” in Palestine.

Speaking to Arts Professional she said that she had planned to read out the statement at the end of each performance addressing the genocide and the west’s anti-Muslim prejudice and antisemitism – a pattern she had followed on the previous tour stop in France. But she said that the theatre’s artistic director asked her not to do so because it might ‘frighten and shock’ the audience.

Featured image via the Canary