International Artists travel to London for Dance Umbrella Festival

Over three busy days the invited artists took in some of the cultural sites of London, met with local artists, participated in a dance class, attended performances, talks, industry showings and networking events.

The artists nominated for the October trip by DU’s Big Pulse Festival partners were:

Natalia Drozd (Danscentrum Sweden)
Luke Murphy (Dublin Dance Festival)
Louise Bjuorholm von Euler (Danscentrum Sweden)
Quim Bigas (Festival Sismògraf)
Inga Zotova-Mikshina (Tanec Praha)
Joaquin Pereira (Iberoamerican Dance Platform and Ministry of Culture of Uruguay)

Arriving on Thursday 12 October, the artists’ first stop was Dance Umbrella’s home at Somerset House where they were given a tour by Head of Somerset House Studios Emma Hannon, to find out more about the Studios programme. After lunch they crossed the river Thames to visit the internationally renowned Southbank Centre and met with Ellie Douglas-Allan (Producer) and Mark Ball (Artistic Director).

The day finished watching Greek artist Ioanna Paraskevopoulou transform the Barbican’s Pit Theatre into a cinematic soundscape for MOS. Part of Dance Umbrella 2023, the piece was followed by a post-show talk with the artist to learn more about the piece’s creation.

Friday morning started bright and early with a class at Independent Dance led by Kimberley Harvey. The artists then met with members of the team from Independent Dance, Siobhan Davies Studios and Team London Bridge before having lunch with local artists Anders Duckworth, Theo TJ lowe, Tyrone Issac Stuart, Becky Namgauds and Anthea Lewis.

In the afternoon, the artists attended the Panel Discussion: ReWorking Rhythms as part of DU23. The conversation focussed on access and inclusion when making, performing or producing performance and was led by panellists Raquel Meseguer Zafe, Sho Shibata, Tarik Elmoutawakil and Xan Dye. Their last stop of the day was Somerset House for AGM – an annual night of collaborative energy, installations and performances.

For the final day of their visit, the team met with Associate Artistic Director of Sadler’s Wells, Rob Jones to learn more about Sadler’s Wells East and how all the venues are programmed.

At lunchtime there was time for a tour of Studio Wayne McGregor before taking in the works-in-progress shared at Dance Umbrella’s Studio Sessions. This industry focussed event also provided a key networking opportunity for the Visiting Artists with programmers and curators.

The afternoon moved on to The Place, meeting with the venue’s team before watching a performance of It Begins in Darkness by Seke Chimutengwende. The London trip concluded with a farewell meal with the creative team for MOS. Dance Umbrella would like to thank all the visiting artists who attended and the London venues and artists who so generously shared their knowledge. Until next time!