Olivier Awards for Babel (words)

Posted on March 14, 2011

The winners of the 2011 Olivier Awards were announced last night, with Babel (words) taking the award in both main the dance categories.

Created by the Society of London Theatre, the awards recognise excellence on the London stage. Best New Dance Production went to Babel (words), choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet. The production was shown at Sadler’s Wells in spring 2010. Sculptor Antony Gormley won the Outstanding Achievement in Dance award for his set design for Babel, a group of simple metal frames that could be rearranged to form rooms, towers and patterns.

The award for Best Theatre Choreographer went to Leon Baugh for the play Sucker Punch, which was performed at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court.

Picture: Babel (words). Photograph: koen bros

Zoe Anderson

Zoë was born in Edinburgh, and saw her first dance performances at the Festival there. She is the dance critic of The Independent, and has also written for The Independent on Sunday, The Scotsman and Dancing Times. In 2002, she received her doctorate from the University of York for a thesis on “Nationhood and epic romance: Ariosto, Sidney, Spenser”. She is the author of The Royal Ballet: 75 Years and The Ballet Lover’s Companion.