‘What a unique platform for sharing the wonderful creative strengths of European artists – it builds new collaborations and deeper understanding of our different approaches and concerns.’
Jude Kelly OBE, Artistic Director, Southbank Centre
In 2008 and 2011, EUNIC London and SouthBank Centre joined forces to celebrate the best of the European dance scene with DancEUnion a festival of work created by dancers and choreographers either born or based in countries around the EU.
DancEUnion II, Great Dance Talent From Across Europe (15 – 17 March 2011)
21 rising stars of the European dance scene came together for three unique days sampling from the best contemporary dance on offer today. Further to the success of its first edition, DancEUnion returned to Southbank Centre with three special mix bills. This 2nd edition of DancEUnion included artists and companies
from:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom.
DancEUnion also included a four-day residency-style masterclass for the choreographers and artists in the lead up to the performances. The residency was run by Jonathan Burrows, a renowned British choreographer and dance teacher.
Read Nicky Napier’s interview in London Dance and see the full festival programme.
DancEUnion I (20 – 21 September 2008)
As well as several programmes of theatrically staged works, the first edition of DancEUnion has presented a series of site-specific events, such as Marcella Fanzaga’s Suspended Silences In An Espresso Coffee, which takes place around the area’s riverside cafes, and Itzik Galili’s two-part show performed in the Clore Ballroom.
The list of featured artists represented an impressively inclusive range of nationalities from 23 countries – Sweden, Cyprus, Portugal, Hungary and Slovenia are among them. Familiar names in the cast included Spanish dancer and dance-maker Ana Lujan Sanchez (ex-Rambert and now with Phoenix).
Picture: Jane Sutherland
Dance Union
