Multi award-winning British choreographer Wayne McGregor has been unveiled as the director of the Venice Biennial Danza. A genuine trailblazer of modern dance, McGregor will remain in the role until 2024 and will present his inaugural programme at this year’s festival.

As the incumbent artistic director of his own Studio Wayne McGregor and resident choreographer of The Royal Ballet, the 51-year old remains one of the leading voices in contemporary dance. His stewardship of the biennial will commence with its 15th edition, during which Company Wayne McGregor and Random International will present Future Self, a vibrant performative light installation.

Presented as a three-dimensional living sculpture, the work studies human movement and identity construction by investigating the relationship we have with our own self image. The sculpture presents viewers with their full-length body image that is projected as a three-dimensional entity by tiny points of light. Accompanied by a score from composer Max Richter, this immersive installation sees two dancers explore the installation with fluid movement, communicating with one another and their own reflections through light as well as the body.

In its nuanced complexity and ephemeral nature, First Sense embodies McGregor’s ambitious vision for the festival. In addition to Mikhail Baryshnikov and Jan Fabre’s Not Once and Wilkie Branson’s Tom, the ten-day programme reflects a real commitment to diversity, spotlighting the work of lesser-known artists alongside the well-established while looking set to continue as a leading international vanguard for contemporary dance.

McGregor’s programme for this year’s edition of the Venice Biennale Danza, FIRST SENSE runs from 23 July – 1st August 2021.