The international festival, Dance Umbrella, has extended their digital platform to allow more audiences to enjoy the contemporary dance regardless of whether they can access venues.
The digital platform shows dance films and artist interactions, supplementing the live performances that took place in venues across London throughout October, and removing financial and physical barriers in getting to the theatre so that more people can enjoy the art.
After a successful October run, the virtual viewing will be available until 30 November on the Dance Umbrella website, accessed with a Pay What You Can donation at a minimum cost of just £5.
Artistic director and CEO, Freddie Opoku-Addaie, said: “It matters that people can go online and connect with the artists’ work because not everyone can get to London physically.”
The online platform also increases opportunities for the artists, of whom 85% are independent, giving them a digital medium to experiment with.
Opoku-Addaie said: “The artists are interested in both mediums, they want to work on stage and dance on camera.
“Our artists are not necessarily emerging, they have really seasoned practices, but as independents they don’t always have the platforms to share their work.”
Increasing accessibility for both audiences and artists through the online platform enables Dance Umbrella to better spotlight art beyond the Western lens and amplify alternative cultural conversations — a fundamental goal of the festival.
As an international dance festival in their 47th year, bringing over 1000 artists from 45 different countries, Opoku-Addaie explained: “It is good for us to demystify the code of dancers beyond the Global North, to understand how their cultures have influenced the West, rather than the other way round.
“It is important that we learn to write our own code.”
Choreographer Amala Dianor, who produced a unique contemporary dance and a capella fusion with Les Arts Florissants as part of Dance Umbrella, also stressed how engaging with different dance and cultures helps us navigate our own sense of self.
He said: “Without culture, without theatre, we cannot build our own way to see the world.”
Dianor went on to champion that experimentive arts, such as contemporary dance, should be more accessible.
He said: “Life is expensive.
“It is important to make dance accessible for people who are not used to going to the theatre, especially for contemporary dance where there are a lot of surprises.
“People want to know that, for the price they pay, they will be interested in what they see.”
Opoku-Addaie added that the digital platform, which is both affordable and immediate, encourages audiences to engage with art that they may not go to a venue to watch.
Digital platforms are not without their own barriers and users must be comfortable with technology to make the most out of the opportunity.
With government cultural and leisure spending having fallen by £2.3billion in real terms from 2010 to 2024, investment in accessible innovations seems to be an uphill battle, especially for registered charities such as Dance Umbrella.
Fortunately, Dance Umbrella has seen enough uptake to extend their digital platform for another month.
The online platform — dedicated to international dance, culture and opportunity — enhances what can be made, by who, and who is able to view it.
Featured image: stills taken from dance film, Nioun Rec – (credit: Dance Umbrella).
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