About

Two extraordinary days of outdoor dance transform the piazzas, parks and waterfronts of Canary Wharf. Discover a spectacular alfresco programme of international and UK dance featuring contemporary, ballet, hip hop, kathak and choreography on  trampoline. 

Programme:
Bouncing Narratives (9th & 10th September)
Venue: Canary Wharf
Time: 1:10pm & 5:10pm [Duration: 50mins]
This immersive performance has been created in and around a shipping container with a trampoline as a roof.

A playful jumble of images, sounds, and movements evoke experiences of joy, trauma and vulnerability, exploring the way in which past experiences bounce back into consciousness again and again. Audiences can experience the show from underneath the trampoline seated on cushions inside the container – or from the outside.

Sleepwalker (9th & 10th September)
Venue: Columbus Courtyard, Canary Wharf
Time: 2:25pm & 3:15pm [Duration: 10mins]
The Royal Ballet steps outside with disabled dancer Joe Powell-Main.

This inclusive and emotionally charged duet is directed by Alexander Campbell and choreographed by Kristen McNally.

A contemporary reimagining of La Sonnambula (The Sleepwalker), this new piece challenges traditional perceptions of ballet, movement and form in a captivating performance with music by Sophie Cotton.

Vivace (9th & 10th Septemer)
Venue: Columbus Courtyard, Canary Wharf
Time: 1:30pm & 5:20pm [Duration: 40mins]
In music Vivace means lively.

The same word in French is used to describe perennials, (the plants that come back every year). The dancers in this joyous UK premiere, discover a new kind of vitality and resilience, driven by high energy and constantly surprising pop, Baroque and electro beats.   

Deva (9th & 10th September)
Venue: Westferry Circus, Canary Wharf
Time: 2:00pm & 3:45pm [Duration: 30mins]
Playfully questioning perceptions, Urja Desai Thakore and Hetain Patel put classical Indian dance right in the heart of the city, reframing movement with sound and text to reveal insights and surprises at every turn.  

In this newly commissioned show, Kathak, music, fashion and spoken word will disrupt the everyday and invite you to think again about your own assumptions. 

You & Me (9th & 10th September)
Venue: Westferry Circus, Canary Wharf
Time: 2:40pm & 4:30pm [30 mins]
This high energy piece combines the traditions of kathak with the intensity of contemporary dance, to tell the story of a same sex relationship, where an ordinary guy wrestles with everything that prevents him from being with his lover. Featuring live music for tabla and cello, this powerful and entrancing performance delivers emotional power and new perspectives on South Asian dance. 

I think we should start over (9th & 10 September)
Venue: Canary Wharf
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm [Duration: 20mins]
This duet from Britain’s leading company of disabled and non-disabled dancers, explores the complexity of relationships, by translating patterns of communication from podcasts and audio recordings into graceful movement and expressive gestures. 

PAN~ // CATWALK (6th, 7th, 9th & 10th September)
Venue: Canary Wharf
Time: 1:30pm & 4:20pm [Duration: 40mins]
Two performers, one catwalk and a never-ending row of outfits. 

From a worn-out denim jacket to an extravagant glitter dress, our clothes are an expression of who we are, want to be, and sometimes have to be.

Through a fusion of fashion, choreography, live music and theatre, this performance, challenges the urge to label or judge others based on how they appear, revealing instead a mind-opening celebration of fluidity and self-expression. 

Tread (9th & 10th September)
Venue: Crossrail Place, Canary Wharf
Time: 2:50pm & 4:30pm [Duration: 35mins]
A treadmill in constant motion becomes the central focus for this powerful and thought–provoking new commission. With an explosive mix of stunt performance, contemporary dance and physical theatre, TREAD is a hypnotic and entrancing exploration of the Black moving body, inviting audiences into a world where joyful fantasy and brutal reality coexist. 

Valse à Newton (9th & 10th September) 
Venue: Montgomery Square, Canary Wharf
Time: 1:00pm & 5:15pm [Duration: 35mins] 
This UK premiere of an exciting new French acro-dance production features a giant Newton’s Cradle, which becomes the focus for 3 performers, who play with notions of physics, gravity, time and space.  A celebration of dreaming and daring, this ingeniously designed show joyfully brings Newton’s physics to creative life.

4 Minutes (9th & 10th September)
Venue: Wren Landing, Canary Wharf
Time: 2:40pm & 3:38pm [Duration: 30mins]
Two 16–year–old boys with something to say, are given 4 minutes each to report back on life. In this physically risky, raw and delicate performance, we race through the monotony, irrationality and brilliance of young life. A joyful dance duet signalling what’s possible when young people are allowed to fly.

Arcade (9th & 10th September)
Venue: Canary Wharf
Time: 1:50pm, 3:15pm, 5:30pm [Duration: 30mins]
This locally resident company have a passion for bringing dance to people in new and unusual ways. Set to a bouncing electronic soundtrack, these interactive dance games will connect you with the childlike joy of play. Watch the fun unfold or get stuck in and be part of six choreographic games facilitated by a friendly team of dancers and a Gamesmaster. 

Moon (9th & 10th September)
Venue: Canary Wharf
Time: 2:30pm & 5:05pm [Duration: 10mins]
This intimate and meticulously choreographed duet takes place around a table and two chairs, which look as though they are about to fall over, in an image caught frozen in time. Two dancers hang on in this unstable world, creating a seamless fusion of contemporary dance and acrobalance.

* All shows are FREE and unticketed - just show up.

* Part of Greenwich+Docklands International Festival