In Conversation with Freddie Opoku-Addaie

In this episode, we sit down with Freddie Opoku-Addaie, Artistic Director & Co-CEO of Dance Umbrella, London’s annual international contemporary dance festival.

Freddie takes us through his journey from performer and choreographer to artistic leadership, reflecting on the experiences that shaped his creative voice and what changes when an artist becomes the person making decisions about whose work reaches an audience.

We explore what he looks for when programming Dance Umbrella, the responsibility of championing new and underrepresented choreographic voices, how we can broaden our understanding of what contemporary dance can be, and the ongoing challenge of making dance genuinely accessible to wider audiences.

Freddie also takes us inside Dance Umbrella Festival 2026, running across London and online this October. This year’s international programme brings together artists including Mamela Nyamza, Akram Khan, Omar Rajeh, Poliana Lima, Yinka Esi Graves, Arno Schuitemaker, Jack Anderson, Charlotte Mclean and Malin Lewis, with work exploring cultural inheritance, identity, community and the joy of gathering together through movement. 

A warm and wide-ranging conversation about dance, artistic identity, representation, leadership – and what it means to create space for the next generation of artists.