From Brixton to Barbican, the international dance festival brings new voices, bold movement, and unforgettable experiences to London this October
When autumn sweeps over London, the streets don’t quiet down—they start to move. From 2 to 31 October 2025, Dance Umbrella Festival 2025 returns to stages, screens, and street corners across the capital, turning London into a city of movement. With its most expansive lineup to date, the 2025 edition brings together fierce debuts, boundary-blurring performances, and an all-access digital programme that stretches beyond borders.
Sure, Shoreditch is represented (shoutout to Elena Antoniou at Shoreditch Town Hall), but this festival spills into every corner of London—from Sadler’s Wells East to Brixton House, Porchester Hall, Barbican, The Place, and even Shakespeare’s Globe.
Festival Highlights: Big Moves Across London
This year’s live programme kicks off with a bang. The UK premiere of Andrea Peña and Artists’ visceral production BOGOTÁ opens at Sadler’s Wells East. Drawing on Colombia’s political and spiritual legacy, the work fuses choreography and magical realism into a brutalist dreamscape. Expect rebirth, chaos, and rebellion—all in one breathless piece.
At Brixton House, the CASA collaboration on 4 October dives into 40 years since the 1985 uprisings with a day of workshops and performances as part of the UPRISING festival.
Meanwhile, Porchester Hall becomes the site for a world premiere: Davi Pontes and Wallace Ferreira’s Repertório N.1. Think resistance through movement, dismantling brutality with choreographic self-defence. This is more than performance—it’s survival turned into art.
Feminine Power and Provocation
In a bold solo piece that mixes intimacy and spectacle, Elena Antoniou’s LANDSCAPE at Shoreditch Town Hall transforms the body into a political battlefield. It’s trauma, desire, hypervisibility, and agency—wrapped in the slow burn of movement and provocation. Brace yourself.
At the Barbican, Change Tempo introduces two explosive artists: Lilian Steiner’s seductive, deceptive Siren Dance, and María del Mar Suárez/La Chachi’s flamenco-infused, sunflower-seed-snacking piece Random Taranto, performed with electric vocalist Lola Delores. You’ll laugh, flinch, and be absolutely mesmerised.
Global Rhythms and Ancestral Memory
Don’t miss bulabulay mun?/how are you? by Taiwan’s Tjimur Dance Theatre, performing at The Place. Based on the Mudan shipwreck of 1874, this production explores nature’s fury and cultural drift. Visually arresting and emotionally haunting, it’s a rare glimpse into Paiwan indigenous identity through contemporary dance.
Elsewhere, Les Arts Florissants and Amala Dianor Company present Gesualdo Passione at the Barbican Hall. This fusion of 17th-century a cappella vocals and hip hop movement creates a haunting hybrid—part concert, part dream.
Artist Encounters and Panel Debates
This year, Ben Duke—of Lost Dog fame—hosts Making Text Move at Shakespeare’s Globe (11 Oct). Expect live demos, literary flare, and theatre/dance alchemy. Meanwhile, panel events dig deep: Sites of Meaning (3 Oct, Studio Wayne McGregor) explores identity and the urban landscape, while Arts & Class (10 Oct, Battersea Arts Centre) takes a hard look at equity in the arts.
If you’re an emerging artist, Studio Sessions at Sadler’s Wells East (11 Oct) is the place to be. Get exposed to new work from Lost Dog, Yinka Esi Graves & Poliana Lima, Sung-Im Her, and BULLYACHE—a fresh batch of artists pushing boundaries.
Dance, Digitally Delivered
Can’t make it in person? The Dance Umbrella Digital Pass gives you global access, with an extended viewing window.
Watch choreographic short films like Andrea Peña’s provocative 6:58: MANIFESTO, which fuses AI, rave culture, and Siri-led improvisation. Or explore Tjimur’s coastal Taiwan-set film version of bulabulay mun?, where nature becomes both stage and actor.
Amala Dianor & Grégoire Korganow’s Nioun Rec brings architecture and African contemporary movement into perfect sync, while Between Breath & Lens, curated by HSEIH I-Hsuan and Emily Shin-Jie Lee, presents Taiwanese cinematic movement poetry.
The Dancing Class podcast returns too, hosted by Dr Laura Griffiths and Dr Rachel Krische. Episodes explore class, opportunity, and how movement might just be the most democratic art form around.
Affordable Tickets and Radical Access
Dance Umbrella is also shaking up access. Every show in the festival will offer a limited number of £10 tickets, making it easier for newcomers, students, and curious minds to step into the experience. It’s not just about showcasing the best dance—it’s about opening doors to everyone.
Dance Umbrella 2025 Is the City in Motion
Whether you’re watching flamenco erupt in a quiet moment, a solo performer confront the gaze, or dancers spin resistance into ritual, Dance Umbrella 2025 is where London breathes in unison.
From Brixton to the Barbican, this October, the city dances.