Last Updated on January 19, 2026
A fascinating exploration of liminality and isolation by Company Wayne McGregor
Wayne McGregor’s meditative new work, ‘Deepstaria’ at Sadler’s Wells, was inspired by the other-worldly deepstaria jellyfish and the liminal space of the ocean depths, together with the loneliness of a space station or the vastness of space itself.
This performance was the UK premiere of Deepstaria, which premiered at the Montpellier Danse Festival in June 2024. Wayne McGregor choreographed it in darkness, alongside the formidable dancers of Company Wayne McGregor, in a set described as ‘like a black hole’ (Set, Benjamin Males); it was difficult to dance in because, as dancer Rebecca Bassett-Graham said, you cannot see where the stage begins and ends.
To give that sense of profound blackness, the set was enhanced by Vantablack Vision technology, which can absorb light. There was outstanding lighting design by Theresa Baumgartner, and the contemporary choreography provoked a hypnotic sense of the numinous. Through graceful, undulating movements, the dancers were able to convey abstract concepts of an isolated humanity in the void of space, disorientated in their brief time, and imitating the hypnotic beauty of life in the deep sea.
The nine dancers at the height of their powers were Rebecca Bassett-Graham, Kevin Beyer, Chia-Yu Hsu, Naia Bautista, Salvatore De Simone, Hannah Joseph, Jasiah Marshall, Jayia O’Connell, and Mariano Zamora González.
The musical accompaniment for Deepstaria was a sound composition by the sound designer Nicolas Becker and the music producer LEXX. It provided tantalising acoustic imagery, which was re-imagined and powered by Bronze AI – a ‘digital audio engine’ – to enable us all to lose ourselves in the various powerful sounds of the score.
This was an amalgam of amazing sounds reminiscent of fog horns in a misty ocean, clanking chains in a forgotten factory or threatening pulsating bangs and song-like snippets of voices. A flow of solos, duets, trios and groups proliferate from each other, all embodying different moods in response to dancing in the void.
Deepstaria was one act of just over an hour with no interval to allow everyone to fully immerse themselves in the performance uninterrupted. The sparse stage, illumined by the effective lighting design that appeared over and around the pitch black box, would often go dramatically dark – plunging us all into complete blackness – and then lights would come on again; each time the stage was lit up in an intriguing way, and each time the dancers would begin a new dance variation. They expressed humanistic vulnerabilities, their fraught and fleeting connections, and their sense of loneliness in their almost weightless, enigmatic and strangely lit worlds.
The ballet began with the dancers Kevin Beyer and Chia-Yu Hsu performing a stunning duet, later joined by Mariano Zamora González in a trio; they all danced with strong fluidity and expression. They were dressed simply and elegantly in black shorts and tops (costume designer, Ilaria Martello). Further into the performance, the dancers were dressed in paper-thin sheer trousers and tops, and finally in floaty costumes of Japanese organza, gently mimicking the delicate jellyfish.
The ‘rainfall’ scene was compelling; the lighting made it look convincingly like rain, in which the beautiful dancer Naia Bautista performed a magical solo before being joined by the rest of the company. There were intense duets when the stage turned to red and later to an ultramarine blue to evoke the ocean. Here, we were treated to an absorbing handography dance, where the dancers used their hands to portray the movements of jellyfish and sea anemones, playfully magical. The duet between the two men was expressive and tender. There was a final solo to end Deepstaria by the stunning dancer, Rebecca Bassett-Graham.
The group dances in Deepstaria were dynamic and stimulating, and it was a treat to watch such immensely talented dancers. Towards the end, dressed in the Japanese organza, the group struck a memorable image as they struggled across the stage, hand in hand, facing their own uncertainties or even their own mortality.
Deepstaria will now be continuing its world tour. It is part of a diptych, and the second part, ‘On the Other Earth’, will be premiered later this year in Jeffrey Shaw’s sensory nVis installation.
There will be an exhibition at Somerset House:- Wayne McGregor: Infinite Bodies, from 23 October 2025 to 22 February 2026.
The Company Wayne McGregor was founded in 1993 by Sir Wayne McGregor CBE. He is its Artistic Director, and he uses this company to explore his style and interests. McGregor is also the Professor of Choreography at Trinity Laban, the Resident Choreographer at the Royal Ballet, and the Artistic Director of the Dance Department of La Biennale di Venezia for 2025-2026. His exciting work, MADDADDAM, was performed at the Royal Opera House in November 2024.
27th February – 2nd March 2025
Deepstaria
Sadler’s Wells
Rosebery Ave,
London
EC1R 4TN
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