Christos Papadopoulos brings My Fierce Ignorant Step to London’s Sadler’s Wells on 13–14 November. The Greek choreographer describes a creative process built around demanding phrases that dancers have to complete together. His new interview connects that cooperation with the sense of hope he sought, following his Rose International Dance Prize win in 2025.
Christos Papadopoulos will bring My Fierce Ignorant Step to Sadler’s Wells in London on 13–14 November. The engagement follows the Greek choreographer’s inaugural Rose International Dance Prize win in 2025. Ten dancers perform the work together. It will be his first piece at Sadler’s Wells since that prize, with the London dates bringing the production to a UK audience.[1], [2]
Papadopoulos told The Guardian that the first month of rehearsals had failed: trying to reproduce the optimism of his younger self did not give the dancers a useful route into the work. He changed the approach, developing long movement phrases with rhythmic and technical challenges. To complete them, dancers must support one another and exchange signals, making cooperation part of the choreography.[1]
For Papadopoulos, the joy comes from overcoming a challenge together. The title recalls his youthful confidence that change was possible. He also identifies Odysseus Elytis’s poem Axion Esti as an influence, alongside Mikis Theodorakis’s musical setting, although neither is used directly in the show. He describes the work as an attempt to reactivate hope through the dancers’ shared effort.[1]
