Dance Umbrella

Dance Umbrella is a London festival 46 years in the making and moving with the times. Every year our festival ignites London and online with the next generation of trailblazing artists. Since 1978, we have been an international home for dance across a global city, presenting more than 1,000 artists from 45 countries to over one million people. We have brought outstanding dance to more than 145 venues throughout London; from the high-profile stages of Sadler’s Wells, Southbank Centre and Barbican to local arts centres – and taking in the more unexpected locations of canal boats, ice rinks and carpark rooftops in between. Since 2020, we have also given online audiences the chance to experience the festival through a curated programme including dance films and artist encounters. Dance Umbrella is a commissioner of new work, co-producing with partners based in the UK and abroad, to invest in the next wave of international choreographic talent. Alongside this, we deliver year-round creative learning initiatives for all ages and nurture the development of arts professionals. Appointed in 2021, Dance Umbrella’s new Artistic Director/CEO Freddie Opoku-Addaie‘s vision for the festival builds on its 45-year track record of commissioning and producing excellent work. This new chapter introduces a programme that puts emerging and diverse talent at its heart, reflecting the global identity of our London home. Dance Umbrella Festival 2023 took place 6-31 October, across London and online.