Dance Umbrella, London’s annual international contemporary dance festival, is delighted to announce the full 2024 festival programme taking place across London, and online, from 9 – 31 October.
Dance Umbrella’s co-CEO and Artistic Director Freddie Opoku-Addaie commented: ‘Dance Umbrella 2024 is our 46th Festival taking place across our global city, and 4th online as we continue to connect and grow with our national and international audiences. This year’s festival encapsulates themes of transformation, reflection and representation.
We dedicate it to Emma Gladstone, Dance Umbrella’s Artistic Director and CEO during 2014-20. Emma’s creative brilliance and ethical compass were always pioneering, whilst being aligned with a rapidly changing world.’
LIVE PROGRAMME
Opening the festival at the Barbican this year, South African choreographer Mamela Nyamza presents HATCHED ENSEMBLE, running in the Theatre and UK based performer and choreographer Hetain Patel presents Mathroo Basha playing in The Pit.
Internationally renowned choreographer Mamela Nyamza makes her Barbican debut, assembling 10 dancers, an opera singer and an African traditional multi-instrumentalist to perform the UK premiere of HATCHED ENSEMBLE, her urgent and subtly spectacular work.
Clad in costumes covered in clothes pegs and balanced timidly en pointe while Camille Saint-Saens’ the Swan plays, the dancers challenge gender norms while juxtaposing references to Western classical dance and music, with South African vocals. Mamela Nyamza has won many accolades for her activism-focused creations. HATCHED ENSEMBLE continues her work which unapologetically demystifies and deconstructs the history of dance, interrogating the accepted norms of the classics. HATCHED ENSEMBLE is presented by Dance Umbrella and Barbican, and supported by British Council, Cockayne Foundation and the Edwin Fox Foundation.
In his first appearance at the Barbican, acclaimed visual artist and filmmaker Hetain Patel returns to the stage with a preview performance of his latest solo Mathroo Basha (Mother Tongue in Gujarati). Following the passing of a number of first-generation immigrants in his family, British born Hetain reflects on what is lost and what is transformed, revisiting rituals rooted in his family’s working-class Brit-Gujarati experience.
Responding physically to the audio interviews of women from his family speaking in Gujarati about inheritance, loss and the future, Hetain delves into the emotional realities of generational change through personal movement explorations where his body becomes the conduit. London-based artist Hetain has shown films, paintings, sculptures, photographs and performance work in galleries, theatre and iconic public screens around the world. Mathroo Basha is presented by Dance Umbrella and Barbican, and supported by Cockayne Foundation and FABRIC International.
Dancer, choreographer, and acrobat Diana Niepce explores her recovery from a spinal cord injury, seeking new ways to integrate the disabled body into mainstream dance. In her solo piece The Other Side of Dance, which will be at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall on 16 & 17 October, Diana examines dance’s past and the principles driving movement, rigorously testing her body with minimal staging to present the non-normative body as revolutionary rather than victimised. Diana is joined on stage by three ‘performer assistants’ who support her through an intense journey of an alternative dance history. The performances will be followed by an extended post-show discussion with BSL on the 16th October.
Contemporary dance and physical theatre collective POCKETART’s latest work Fairy Tales, featuring eight female dancers and two musicians, comes to the UK for the first time. Exploring the intersection of femininity, identity and self-discovery, Fairy Tales aims to connect us to our past by revisiting childhood experiences. By taking on different roles from fairy tales or every day real-life figures, the dancers envision new fantasies that reimagine how we see our happy endings. POCKETART’s work is characterised by tackling topics that go beyond the personal experience if the individual, touching on global societal issues. With striking visuals, melodic sound and virtuosic dance performance, Fairy Tales invites us to playfully reconsider our own identities.
Change Tempo returns to Brixton House in 2024 to introduce London to two international artists whose transformational works blur the line between dance and visual art.
Sweden-based Adam Seid Tahir and Amina Seid Tahir draw inspiration from literature on Black feminism and marine mammals for their latest production – several attempts at braiding my way home, a show born out of longing for a space that celebrates and holds their multiplicities as queer Afro-Nordic siblings. Solo performer Adam begins the show by removing their braids and attaching them to a sculpture of a weave that is suspended at the back of the stage. Like real hair, the weave grows with each performance, storing memories and emotions, creating a timeline that carries the history of the piece. Set to a pulsating score, several attempts at braiding my way home is a meditation on how it feels to have a place in which to dream, and to truly call home.
PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED
Six performers take the stage with explosive energy in a genre-bending performance, named one of New York Times’ Best Dance Performances of 2022. Radioactive Practice from award-winning American choreographer Abby Zbikowski blends street dance, synchronized swimming, post-modern dance, tap, football, martial arts, and African forms. The work challenges physical and mental limits while exploring our survival instincts.
Audience members are seated on multiple sides, enhancing the dynamic experience. Senegalese dance artist Momar Ndiaye contributes as dramaturge, highlighting the complexities of contemporary life. This marks the European premiere of Zbikowski’s company, Abby Z and the New Utility.
October half term starts with a Dance Umbrella Family Weekend at Unicorn Theatre and Potters Field Park with performances, workshops and arts and crafts for the whole family to enjoy. On Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 October, you can experience the magic of de Stilte, renowned dance company from the Netherlands, who bring their thrilling new show for young children to the Unicorn and the UK for the very first time. Watch two captivating dancers and a musician embark on a wondrous journey, exploring the world through touch, sound, and movement. Their performance mirrors the awe and curiosity of a young child discovering their surroundings, creating a spellbinding experience for both kids and parents. Eyecatchers is an enchanting adventure, perfect for families with children aged 1 and above. Enjoy the show and stay for interactive playtime on stage, where the whole family can immerse themselves in this world of wonder!
Wander over to Potters Fields Park on Saturday 26 October for The Bobby Dazzler, Hackney Showroom’s touring stage on wheels. Pop on your dancing shoes for an afternoon of DJ’s, live cabaret acts, dance floor prizes and family fun!
Dance Umbrella will also be running fun-filled, family friendly dance workshops for early years children and their grown-ups at the Unicorn. Perfect for audiences of Eyecatchers, you’ll be led by a dance artist who will encourage you to explore movement, sound and play inspired by the show.