Create. Debate. Celebrate.

This year London’s Contemporary Dance Festival Dance Umbrella will have its entirely digital edition.

Between November 23 and 27, we settle in comfortably at home for a series of online seminars, discussions, debates, movies, music, and even a closing party with Jay Jay Revlon. We will pay special attention on November 26, when the emphasis is on Dimitris Papaioannou and the creation of his work “Primal Matter”.

Dance Umbrella is one of the founders of the first European dance alliance – Big Pulse Dance Alliance, co-founder of which is ONE DANCE WEEK.

/Soon we will be able to share additional information about the project, supported by the European Commission and initiated by some of the most influential festivals in Europe./

Studio Sessions:

Studio Sessions returns for 2020 as twelve UK and Ireland based artists / companies share a live stream presentation of a work in progress. Connecting national and international industry professionals with creatives, these three informal presentations enable presenters, funders and supporters to see work well before it hits the stage.

Playlists:

Playlists from Dimitris Papaioannou, Eun Me-Ahn, Oona Doherty, Satchie Noro, as well as other artists participating in the festival program will be available via the website. Every day, a different artist will share the songs that helped him “get through the difficult year easier.”

Choreographer’s Cut

Between November 24 and 26, we enter “behind the scenes” with Dimitris Papayoanu (Greece), Oona Doherty (Northern Ireland) and Eun Me-Ahn (South Korea) as they discuss their creative process with Dance Umbrella artistic director Emma Gladstone.

Articles:

Author’s materials will also be available during the festival week, addressing the hot topics of how the current climate affects the dance industry. We will be able to read articles by Tim Joss, CEO and founder of Aesop, the charity that finds artistic solutions to societal problems, and Italian artist Chiara Bersani, who will touch on the subject of COVID-19 and the damage done by the pandemic. Details will be announced on the festival website.

Documentary screening:

As part of the program, we will also see the documentary about the creation of the song If It Were Love (in French: Si C’était de L’amour), directed by Patrick Chiha. The film was screened at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Best Documentary Award from the Teddy LGBTQ Film Program.

Details and additional information will be announced on the official website of Dance Umbrella.