We sat down for an exclusive interview with dancer Jakob Wheway Hughes, who will be performing the role of the Weaver of Souls in Jae Man Joo’s Auguries of Innocence, inspired by the poetry of William Blake, as part of triple bill Rhythm Riot.
Auguries of Innocence runs from 24th September – 3rd October at Sadler’s Wells – Tickets here
You have already danced Balanchine in Theme and Variations. How has that experience prepared you for the speed, musicality and precision of Symphony in Three Movements?
I think it really brought me into the world of Balanchine because prior to that, I had no training in it. It also really improved my speed in picking things up and my musicality because it’s insane. We’re counting up to 14s, then 8s, then 6s, then 3s and 5s. It’s crazy!
I think it’s really helped to round me out as a performer. Being tall and long, you wouldn’t necessarily expect me to be fast, so it’s helped with that.
Rhythm Riot brings together three very different works, including Balanchine’s neoclassical vocabulary in Symphony of Three Movements and Jae Man Joo’s poetic world premiere, Auguries of Innocence, both of which you perform in. What is it like for you to shift between these contrasting movement styles?
I think going from one piece that’s really, really fast to Jae Man Joo’s Auguries of Innocence, they’re two very different worlds. The Balanchine, while still being very classical, is also very jazzy and almost performer-esque and showy. The other is more philosophical and emotional.
It’s a real contrast, and I’m going to have to learn to shift really quickly, both physically, through the costume and quick change, but also mentally, getting into two completely different worlds.
Jae Man Joo’s Auguries of Innocence explores connections between the human, natural and spiritual worlds. What emotions or ideas in the work resonate most strongly with you?
I think the idea that everyone has very different upbringings, and that not everyone starts in the same place. You can have a really great origin story, or you could start from a very different place, with more obstacles in your way. So I really appreciate that narrative and the arc in the story.
I also think it’s good for me as an artist to become more introspective because, with all the roles that I’ve been doing professionally recently, they’ve been either very classical or very high-energy and fun, and I really enjoy those. But I also think it’s nice for us all to explore different sides of ourselves as artists and perform with these different qualities.
Can you tell us about the role of The Weaver of Souls?
The Weaver of Souls is iconic. I’m really intrigued by the role as it’s meant to be a figure that’s almost quite omnipotent. It brings you into the world that Jae Man Joo is trying to portray and shows you all the atrocities that are going on within this world, and how it almost reflects Mother Nature, but not completely.
It’s the idea that when a person passes, they weave every single aspect of life together, so it’s very thought-provoking. It’s going to be different to anything that people have seen before, which I think will make it really memorable for audiences.
How has it been working with choreographer Jae Man Joo on Auguries of Innocence? What’s the creative process been like?
It’s been such a warm environment. He creates a very welcoming creative space and he’s a lovely human being. But also, he makes us work. It’s very intense because we go over and over again, and we have to find the specific movement quality and portray the emotion within that.
I’ve learnt a lot from this experience and we’ve had to adapt a lot, but it’s been very positive and the process has moved forward quickly.
You won both the Artistic Distinction Award and the Audience Choice Award at Emerging Dancer 2026. What did receiving recognition from both the artistic panel and the audience mean to you?
I feel like last season when we did Emerging Dancer, I was really nervous. I was the youngest, and I was figuring everything out. Then, for the end of the season to finish like that for me, it was really amazing. I felt that I’d not only shown what Anri (Sugiura), my partner for Emerging Dancer, and I had worked on so tirelessly, but I’d also received recognition from both the judges and the audience.
The audience, which was largely the dancers and staff in the Company, was more daunting for me than performing on a national stage. That was terrifying, the fact that it was people I know. Getting their approval meant a lot to me because I felt like, ‘Oh, okay. We’re settling in and you’re part of the group now.’ I felt like I solidified my place a little bit within the Company.
From the Fairy Cavalier in The Sleeping Beauty to contemporary works such as Proper Conduct, your repertoire is already remarkably varied. Which type of role reveals the most authentic side of you as a performer—and which pushes you furthest outside your comfort zone?
It’s interesting because I think people would look at me and naturally think I’m more of a classical ballet dancer, whereas I find that less natural. I love being showy and I want to do the most, so I have to strip back and calm down for those roles, and really keep everything classical and clean. Whereas for a contemporary or neo-classical type of movement, it’s a lot easier for me to just get into that world and go, because I feel like that resembles my personality more.
But I think any sort of piece that I dance, I’m going to be comfortable in, but then it’s also going to push me in many different ways. The pieces we’ve been working on for Rhythm Riot have really been pushing me mentally because we’re learning so much.