When dance travels across borders, it is shaped not only by artists but also by the frameworks through which it is presented, contextualised and understood. Curating in Context brings together artists, curators and cultural leaders to explore how dance is programmed across different geographies, and whose perspectives inform those choices.

Drawing on conversations from an international think tank convened at the African Biennale earlier this year, the discussion considers both the realities of today’s dance ecology and the possibilities for more reciprocal, context-responsive approaches to international exchange.

Facilitated by Isabel Moura Mendes, Senior Relationship Manager for Theatre and Dance at the British Council.

Panellists to be announced

Presented by Dance Umbrella
Supported by British Council

South African artist Mamela Nyamza is a vital choreographic voice in contemporary performance. Following critical acclaim for HATCHED ENSEMBLE, which opened the 2024 Dance Umbrella Festival and now the recipient of the 2026 Venice Biennale Silver Lion, she returns to London with THE HERD/LESS, a searing new work. Internationally acclaimed for her fearless choreography, Nyamza continues to push at the boundaries of form and convention.  

THE HERD/LESS draws on the dual meaning of the ‘herd’: a collective moving in harmony and a group controlled, shaped and directed by cultural and physical forces. Power emerges through ritual, repetition and the quiet surrender of the individual to the group. Cloth and cultural sticks – traditional southern African objects associated with masculine authority – become both symbols of position and tools of control. 

This breath-taking ensemble’s movements generate a live, percussive score, creating a sensory landscape that is as immersive as it is disquieting. Beneath the promise of unity and abundance lies a more violent reality: a collective stripped of agency, bound by systems that sustain both beauty and brutality. Nyamza exposes the fallacy of a beautiful world, revealing the tension between harmony and control that sits just beneath the surface of our day-to-day existence. 

Photo: Kim Stevens

South African artist Mamela Nyamza is a vital choreographic voice in contemporary performance. Following critical acclaim for HATCHED ENSEMBLE, which opened the 2024 Dance Umbrella Festival and now the recipient of the 2026 Venice Biennale Silver Lion, she returns to London with THE HERD/LESS, a searing new work. Internationally acclaimed for her fearless choreography, Nyamza continues to push at the boundaries of form and convention.  

THE HERD/LESS draws on the dual meaning of the ‘herd’: a collective moving in harmony and a group controlled, shaped and directed by cultural and physical forces. Power emerges through ritual, repetition and the quiet surrender of the individual to the group. Cloth and cultural sticks – traditional southern African objects associated with masculine authority – become both symbols of position and tools of control. 

This breath-taking ensemble’s movements generate a live, percussive score, creating a sensory landscape that is as immersive as it is disquieting. Beneath the promise of unity and abundance lies a more violent reality: a collective stripped of agency, bound by systems that sustain both beauty and brutality. Nyamza exposes the fallacy of a beautiful world, revealing the tension between harmony and control that sits just beneath the surface of our day-to-day existence. 

Photo: Kim Stevens

A Place to Dance is a captivating new performance work shaped by rhythm, dialogue and an innate desire to celebrate our shared experiences. Brazilian choreographer Poliana Lima and British flamenco dance artist Yinka Esi Graves draw on their multiple cultural heritages and distinct artistic languages. Together, they create an encounter that places the body – and what it can conjure, at the centre of a force capable of transforming space, connection and community. 

Dissolving the boundaries between audience and performer, participation and observation, the work unfolds in-the-round with a tour de force of collaborators. Graves and Lima invite audiences to inhabit the same shared environment, where watching becomes an act of presence and dancing an invitation to belong. Through rhythm, movement and sound, they build a living choreography in which space continuously evolves. 

Framed by opening and closing music sets from DJ Oumoukala, this immersive invitation becomes a celebration of the body in its collective dimension – communal, porous and thrillingly alive. 

Photo: Miguel Ángel Rosales

A Place to Dance is a captivating new performance work shaped by rhythm, dialogue and an innate desire to celebrate our shared experiences. Brazilian choreographer Poliana Lima and British flamenco dance artist Yinka Esi Graves draw on their multiple cultural heritages and distinct artistic languages. Together, they create an encounter that places the body – and what it can conjure, at the centre of a force capable of transforming space, connection and community. 

Dissolving the boundaries between audience and performer, participation and observation, the work unfolds in-the-round with a tour de force of collaborators. Graves and Lima invite audiences to inhabit the same shared environment, where watching becomes an act of presence and dancing an invitation to belong. Through rhythm, movement and sound, they build a living choreography in which space continuously evolves. 

Framed by opening and closing music sets from DJ Oumoukala, this immersive invitation becomes a celebration of the body in its collective dimension – communal, porous and thrillingly alive. 

Photo: Miguel Ángel Rosales

South African artist Mamela Nyamza is a vital choreographic voice in contemporary performance. Following critical acclaim for HATCHED ENSEMBLE, which opened the 2024 Dance Umbrella Festival and now the recipient of the 2026 Venice Biennale Silver Lion, she returns to London with THE HERD/LESS, a searing new work. Internationally acclaimed for her fearless choreography, Nyamza continues to push at the boundaries of form and convention.  

THE HERD/LESS draws on the dual meaning of the ‘herd’: a collective moving in harmony and a group controlled, shaped and directed by cultural and physical forces. Power emerges through ritual, repetition and the quiet surrender of the individual to the group. Cloth and cultural sticks – traditional southern African objects associated with masculine authority – become both symbols of position and tools of control. 

This breath-taking ensemble’s movements generate a live, percussive score, creating a sensory landscape that is as immersive as it is disquieting. Beneath the promise of unity and abundance lies a more violent reality: a collective stripped of agency, bound by systems that sustain both beauty and brutality. Nyamza exposes the fallacy of a beautiful world, revealing the tension between harmony and control that sits just beneath the surface of our day-to-day existence. 

Photo: Kim Stevens

One of the most influential dance artists of his generation and multi-award winning choreographer, Akram Khan, brings his distinctive voice to this year’s Artist Encounters.

Internationally celebrated and renowned for his ability to tell stories that are both visceral and profoundly human, Khan has created a body of work that is globally celebrated and deeply personal.

This landmark event will offer a rare window into the inner workings of Khan’s artistic process. Through conversation, reflection and live discussion with collaborators, he will explore how storytelling, personal history and intention underpin every stage in developing his internationally acclaimed productions.

Presented in the intimate setting of The Bhavan, a space long connected to South Asian arts and one that holds a personal significance for Akram, Anatomy of a Story offers a unique opportunity to experience the thinking and philosophy behind the work of a leading choreographic voice during a poignant moment in his artistic journey.

Facilitator to be announced

Photo: Camilla Greenwell

not for glory is a restless, relentless unravelling of traditional dance and music. Jack Anderson and Charlotte Mclean, in collaboration with composer Malin Lewis, bring together Highland dance, Irish dance and live piping in a dance-theatre gig that is as thrillingly physical as it is emotionally charged. 

The performers revisit the traditions they grew up in – and the result is virtuosic, visceral and uncompromising. They dissect their heritage while dancing solidarity, balancing pride with shame and vulnerability with breathtaking skill. It’s bodies, bagpipes and brutality. It’s kilts, queerness and ceremonial violence. Back beats collide with high cuts, striking in to a battering, flinging skirl.  

Rebellious, funny and fiercely alive, not for glory makes a powerful case for reclaiming what we inherit on our own terms. Whether you know your reels from your jigs or have never been within ten feet of a set of pipes, this is a show that will pull you onto the dance floor and not let go. 

Photo: Brian Hartley

not for glory is a restless, relentless unravelling of traditional dance and music. Jack Anderson and Charlotte Mclean, in collaboration with composer Malin Lewis, bring together Highland dance, Irish dance and live piping in a dance-theatre gig that is as thrillingly physical as it is emotionally charged. 

The performers revisit the traditions they grew up in – and the result is virtuosic, visceral and uncompromising. They dissect their heritage while dancing solidarity, balancing pride with shame and vulnerability with breathtaking skill. It’s bodies, bagpipes and brutality. It’s kilts, queerness and ceremonial violence. Back beats collide with high cuts, striking in to a battering, flinging skirl.  

Rebellious, funny and fiercely alive, not for glory makes a powerful case for reclaiming what we inherit on our own terms. Whether you know your reels from your jigs or have never been within ten feet of a set of pipes, this is a show that will pull you onto the dance floor and not let go. 

Photo: Brian Hartley

Omar Rajeh is a choreographer, festival director and cultural architect whose practice spans performance, participation and moving image. Dance is Not for Us marks a rare London appearance from the founder of Maqamat and BIPOD – Beirut International Platform of Dance, and recipient of France's Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Rajeh brings over two decades of choreographic practice to an intimate solo that is at once a personal memoir and a political act. 

Alone onstage, he dances and speaks of a past that no longer exists – of Lebanon, of loss, of a world that froze before it could become a future. Raw, urgent and deeply human, this is a work that asks what it means to keep dancing when everything around you says stop. 

Drawing on maqam – his practice of instant composition, Rajeh refuses the structures of power that would reduce dance to something safe or palatable. The dancing body, he insists, creates its own rules, its own logic, its own hope. Performance becomes a gathering, a space where artist and audience enter into a shared experience that pushes back against fear and normalisation. 

Photo: Giuseppe Follacchio for Orbita Spellbound

Omar Rajeh is a choreographer, festival director and cultural architect whose practice spans performance, participation and moving image. Dance is Not for Us marks a rare London appearance from the founder of Maqamat and BIPOD – Beirut International Platform of Dance, and recipient of France's Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Rajeh brings over two decades of choreographic practice to an intimate solo that is at once a personal memoir and a political act. 

Alone onstage, he dances and speaks of a past that no longer exists – of Lebanon, of loss, of a world that froze before it could become a future. Raw, urgent and deeply human, this is a work that asks what it means to keep dancing when everything around you says stop. 

Drawing on maqam – his practice of instant composition, Rajeh refuses the structures of power that would reduce dance to something safe or palatable. The dancing body, he insists, creates its own rules, its own logic, its own hope. Performance becomes a gathering, a space where artist and audience enter into a shared experience that pushes back against fear and normalisation. 

Photo: Giuseppe Follacchio for Orbita Spellbound

Spaces of Encounter is a specially curated programme of short films selected by dance artist, festival director and filmmaker Omar Rajeh. Throughout his work, Rajeh explores the relationship between bodies, memory and place, examining how movement can reveal the social, political and emotional landscapes we inhabit. For this edition of Dance Umbrella’s Sunday Shorts, he brings together a collection of films that reflect these ongoing artistic enquiries. 

Spanning streets, apartments, rooftops, ruins, public squares and temporary architectures, the selected works explore how movement transforms our experience of place and of one another (and its relations). Architecture and the material fabric of the city become active participants within the films: walls, windows, staircases, concrete, debris, light and distance shape the choreography of everyday life.  

Together, these films offer a rich and layered meditation on encounters, belonging and coexistence, inviting audiences to consider how bodies move through and are shaped by the spaces they inhabit. 

Full programme to be announced

Photo: Maqat

Celebrated for his immersive and visually striking performances, Dutch artist Arno Schuitemaker brings seven dancers together beneath a single strip of light in After After. As old ideas of progress and endless growth begin to fray, the performers claim a blank canvas and start to imagine what might come next. What if “the after” is not a future to wait for, but something to rehearse together? 

Drawing on the spirit of the dance floor, seven distinct voices and ways of moving unfold side by side. Through touch, attention and care, the dancers create a shifting field of difference, connection and possibility. An electronic score and striking lighting transform the space around them as small gestures gather momentum, creating an atmosphere that is both intimate and exhilarating.  

Exploring recreation in every sense of the word, After After is an act of reimagining, a celebration of pleasure, and a performance about the effort of making another kind of world imaginable. 

Photo: Nina Durdević

At a mysterious crossroads, a traveller must decide which way to turn. Watching over them is a powerful rooster, while nearby waits Eshu – the playful and unpredictable trickster spirit who delights in mischief, surprises and unexpected possibilities. As the journey unfolds, the traveller encounters challenges, moments of joy and new ways of seeing the world around them.

Afro-Cuban choreographer Miguel Altunaga joins forces with pioneering puppetry company Theatre-Rites for a vibrant family adventure inspired by Yorubic culture, myth and storytelling. Blending dance, live performance and puppetry, Eshu at the Crossroads invites audiences into a magical world where every choice can change your path.

Drawing on storytelling traditions rooted in Yoruba culture, Altunaga’s choreography combines with Theatre-Rites’ imaginative visual theatre to create a rich, sensory experience for audiences of all ages. Music, movement and puppetry come together in a production that celebrates curiosity, courage and the importance of embracing the unknown.

Created for everyone aged 5+, Eshu at the Crossroads is a warm, funny and thought-provoking introduction to dance and theatre for families to experience together.

At a mysterious crossroads, a traveller must decide which way to turn. Watching over them is a powerful rooster, while nearby waits Eshu – the playful and unpredictable trickster spirit who delights in mischief, surprises and unexpected possibilities. As the journey unfolds, the traveller encounters challenges, moments of joy and new ways of seeing the world around them.

Afro-Cuban choreographer Miguel Altunaga joins forces with pioneering puppetry company Theatre-Rites for a vibrant family adventure inspired by Yorubic culture, myth and storytelling. Blending dance, live performance and puppetry, Eshu at the Crossroads invites audiences into a magical world where every choice can change your path.

Drawing on storytelling traditions rooted in Yoruba culture, Altunaga’s choreography combines with Theatre-Rites’ imaginative visual theatre to create a rich, sensory experience for audiences of all ages. Music, movement and puppetry come together in a production that celebrates curiosity, courage and the importance of embracing the unknown.

Created for everyone aged 5+, Eshu at the Crossroads is a warm, funny and thought-provoking introduction to dance and theatre for families to experience together.

Touch the Floor is a multidisciplinary curatorial programme exploring the history and evolution of Black British music cultures through the informal spaces where people gathered, danced, connected and created community. From house parties and blues dances to community centres, local functions and clubs, the programme considers how these spaces nurtured cultural expression and collective identity, while offering opportunities for refuge, resistance, healing and celebration. 

Guest curator Anthea Lewis (Blulili Projects) traces the ways sound and movement have shaped collective experience in the UK, exploring the relationship between Black British music, social dance and cultural production across generations. 

At its centre is communal dance as a living, vital practice — one that offers connection, release and renewal while continuing to shape British culture and society. Bringing together artists, dancers, DJs, academics and audiences, Touch the Floor creates space to gather, move and reflect on the histories, communities and creative legacies carried through Black British music and social dance. 

Full programme to be announced

Photos: Anthea Lewis & Dawn Estefan

At a mysterious crossroads, a traveller must decide which way to turn. Watching over them is a powerful rooster, while nearby waits Eshu – the playful and unpredictable trickster spirit who delights in mischief, surprises and unexpected possibilities. As the journey unfolds, the traveller encounters challenges, moments of joy and new ways of seeing the world around them.

Afro-Cuban choreographer Miguel Altunaga joins forces with pioneering puppetry company Theatre-Rites for a vibrant family adventure inspired by Yorubic culture, myth and storytelling. Blending dance, live performance and puppetry, Eshu at the Crossroads invites audiences into a magical world where every choice can change your path.

Drawing on storytelling traditions rooted in Yoruba culture, Altunaga’s choreography combines with Theatre-Rites’ imaginative visual theatre to create a rich, sensory experience for audiences of all ages. Music, movement and puppetry come together in a production that celebrates curiosity, courage and the importance of embracing the unknown.

Created for everyone aged 5+, Eshu at the Crossroads is a warm, funny and thought-provoking introduction to dance and theatre for families to experience together.

At a mysterious crossroads, a traveller must decide which way to turn. Watching over them is a powerful rooster, while nearby waits Eshu – the playful and unpredictable trickster spirit who delights in mischief, surprises and unexpected possibilities. As the journey unfolds, the traveller encounters challenges, moments of joy and new ways of seeing the world around them.

Afro-Cuban choreographer Miguel Altunaga joins forces with pioneering puppetry company Theatre-Rites for a vibrant family adventure inspired by Yorubic culture, myth and storytelling. Blending dance, live performance and puppetry, Eshu at the Crossroads invites audiences into a magical world where every choice can change your path.

Drawing on storytelling traditions rooted in Yoruba culture, Altunaga’s choreography combines with Theatre-Rites’ imaginative visual theatre to create a rich, sensory experience for audiences of all ages. Music, movement and puppetry come together in a production that celebrates curiosity, courage and the importance of embracing the unknown.

Created for everyone aged 5+, Eshu at the Crossroads is a warm, funny and thought-provoking introduction to dance and theatre for families to experience together.

 This holiday season, New English Ballet Theatre (NEBT) presents a bold reimagining of The Nutcracker, performed live on stage to Tchaikovsky’s original, much-loved score. Blending classical tradition with imaginative storytelling, this festive production offers an enchanting experience for audiences of all ages.

At a glittering modern-day Christmas party, Clara is gifted a Nutcracker by an eccentric entertainer, unaware that it will lead her into a dreamlike world of snowy landscapes, mystery and magic.

This fresh interpretation of the timeless ballet is created by Valentino Zucchetti, one of NEBT’s Associate Choreographers and a First Soloist of The Royal Ballet. The production features elegant, expressive movement and breathtaking performances by inspiring guest artists.

Perfect for families and first-time ballet-goers alike, The Nutcracker is reimagined with sparkle, heart, and joyful creativity – a magical celebration of the festive season.

 This holiday season, New English Ballet Theatre (NEBT) presents a bold reimagining of The Nutcracker, performed live on stage to Tchaikovsky’s original, much-loved score. Blending classical tradition with imaginative storytelling, this festive production offers an enchanting experience for audiences of all ages.

At a glittering modern-day Christmas party, Clara is gifted a Nutcracker by an eccentric entertainer, unaware that it will lead her into a dreamlike world of snowy landscapes, mystery and magic.

This fresh interpretation of the timeless ballet is created by Valentino Zucchetti, one of NEBT’s Associate Choreographers and a First Soloist of The Royal Ballet. The production features elegant, expressive movement and breathtaking performances by inspiring guest artists.

Perfect for families and first-time ballet-goers alike, The Nutcracker is reimagined with sparkle, heart, and joyful creativity – a magical celebration of the festive season.

 This holiday season, New English Ballet Theatre (NEBT) presents a bold reimagining of The Nutcracker, performed live on stage to Tchaikovsky’s original, much-loved score. Blending classical tradition with imaginative storytelling, this festive production offers an enchanting experience for audiences of all ages.

At a glittering modern-day Christmas party, Clara is gifted a Nutcracker by an eccentric entertainer, unaware that it will lead her into a dreamlike world of snowy landscapes, mystery and magic.

This fresh interpretation of the timeless ballet is created by Valentino Zucchetti, one of NEBT’s Associate Choreographers and a First Soloist of The Royal Ballet. The production features elegant, expressive movement and breathtaking performances by inspiring guest artists.

Perfect for families and first-time ballet-goers alike, The Nutcracker is reimagined with sparkle, heart, and joyful creativity – a magical celebration of the festive season.

 This holiday season, New English Ballet Theatre (NEBT) presents a bold reimagining of The Nutcracker, performed live on stage to Tchaikovsky’s original, much-loved score. Blending classical tradition with imaginative storytelling, this festive production offers an enchanting experience for audiences of all ages.

At a glittering modern-day Christmas party, Clara is gifted a Nutcracker by an eccentric entertainer, unaware that it will lead her into a dreamlike world of snowy landscapes, mystery and magic.

This fresh interpretation of the timeless ballet is created by Valentino Zucchetti, one of NEBT’s Associate Choreographers and a First Soloist of The Royal Ballet. The production features elegant, expressive movement and breathtaking performances by inspiring guest artists.

Perfect for families and first-time ballet-goers alike, The Nutcracker is reimagined with sparkle, heart, and joyful creativity – a magical celebration of the festive season.

 This holiday season, New English Ballet Theatre (NEBT) presents a bold reimagining of The Nutcracker, performed live on stage to Tchaikovsky’s original, much-loved score. Blending classical tradition with imaginative storytelling, this festive production offers an enchanting experience for audiences of all ages.

At a glittering modern-day Christmas party, Clara is gifted a Nutcracker by an eccentric entertainer, unaware that it will lead her into a dreamlike world of snowy landscapes, mystery and magic.

This fresh interpretation of the timeless ballet is created by Valentino Zucchetti, one of NEBT’s Associate Choreographers and a First Soloist of The Royal Ballet. The production features elegant, expressive movement and breathtaking performances by inspiring guest artists.

Perfect for families and first-time ballet-goers alike, The Nutcracker is reimagined with sparkle, heart, and joyful creativity – a magical celebration of the festive season.

 This holiday season, New English Ballet Theatre (NEBT) presents a bold reimagining of The Nutcracker, performed live on stage to Tchaikovsky’s original, much-loved score. Blending classical tradition with imaginative storytelling, this festive production offers an enchanting experience for audiences of all ages.

At a glittering modern-day Christmas party, Clara is gifted a Nutcracker by an eccentric entertainer, unaware that it will lead her into a dreamlike world of snowy landscapes, mystery and magic.

This fresh interpretation of the timeless ballet is created by Valentino Zucchetti, one of NEBT’s Associate Choreographers and a First Soloist of The Royal Ballet. The production features elegant, expressive movement and breathtaking performances by inspiring guest artists.

Perfect for families and first-time ballet-goers alike, The Nutcracker is reimagined with sparkle, heart, and joyful creativity – a magical celebration of the festive season.

 This holiday season, New English Ballet Theatre (NEBT) presents a bold reimagining of The Nutcracker, performed live on stage to Tchaikovsky’s original, much-loved score. Blending classical tradition with imaginative storytelling, this festive production offers an enchanting experience for audiences of all ages.

At a glittering modern-day Christmas party, Clara is gifted a Nutcracker by an eccentric entertainer, unaware that it will lead her into a dreamlike world of snowy landscapes, mystery and magic.

This fresh interpretation of the timeless ballet is created by Valentino Zucchetti, one of NEBT’s Associate Choreographers and a First Soloist of The Royal Ballet. The production features elegant, expressive movement and breathtaking performances by inspiring guest artists.

Perfect for families and first-time ballet-goers alike, The Nutcracker is reimagined with sparkle, heart, and joyful creativity – a magical celebration of the festive season.

 This holiday season, New English Ballet Theatre (NEBT) presents a bold reimagining of The Nutcracker, performed live on stage to Tchaikovsky’s original, much-loved score. Blending classical tradition with imaginative storytelling, this festive production offers an enchanting experience for audiences of all ages.

At a glittering modern-day Christmas party, Clara is gifted a Nutcracker by an eccentric entertainer, unaware that it will lead her into a dreamlike world of snowy landscapes, mystery and magic.

This fresh interpretation of the timeless ballet is created by Valentino Zucchetti, one of NEBT’s Associate Choreographers and a First Soloist of The Royal Ballet. The production features elegant, expressive movement and breathtaking performances by inspiring guest artists.

Perfect for families and first-time ballet-goers alike, The Nutcracker is reimagined with sparkle, heart, and joyful creativity – a magical celebration of the festive season.

 This holiday season, New English Ballet Theatre (NEBT) presents a bold reimagining of The Nutcracker, performed live on stage to Tchaikovsky’s original, much-loved score. Blending classical tradition with imaginative storytelling, this festive production offers an enchanting experience for audiences of all ages.

At a glittering modern-day Christmas party, Clara is gifted a Nutcracker by an eccentric entertainer, unaware that it will lead her into a dreamlike world of snowy landscapes, mystery and magic.

This fresh interpretation of the timeless ballet is created by Valentino Zucchetti, one of NEBT’s Associate Choreographers and a First Soloist of The Royal Ballet. The production features elegant, expressive movement and breathtaking performances by inspiring guest artists.

Perfect for families and first-time ballet-goers alike, The Nutcracker is reimagined with sparkle, heart, and joyful creativity – a magical celebration of the festive season.