Dance Umbrella announces its first show for the 2025 festival

Dance Umbrella is delighted to announce the first show for the 2025 festival. Blending acappella singing with expressive movement, Gesualdo Passione is a modern creation inspired by 17th century composer Carlo Gesualdo’s work, by choreographer Amala Dianor and Les Arts Florissants, conducted by Paul Agnew.

In this story of suffering and love, the body is central. Amala Dianor’s choreography seamlessly blends classical, modern and hip hop movement vocabularies, mirroring the contrast within the music. Six singers from Les Arts Florissants and four dancers from Compagnie Amala Dianor unite past and present in this unique stage creation with lighting design by Xavier Lazarini.

Gesualdo Passione marks the culmination of conductor Paul Agnew and Les Arts Florissants' work on the music of Carlo Gesualdo, transforming his 1611 Responsories for Holy Week into a contemporary creation.

Dance Umbrella audiences will remember Amala’s critically acclaimed past creations - Emaphakathini, commissioned by South African company Via Katlehong in 2023 at Sadler’s Wells, and before that presented his own company’s work Somewhere in the middle of infinity in 2019 as part of a mixed bill of works at the Linbury Theatre at Royal Opera House.

Amala Dianor, a self-taught hip hop dancer, trained at the Centre National de Danse Contemporaine d'Angers, graduating in 2002. For a decade, he performed across various styles before founding his company in 2012 after winning two prizes at the 2011 Reconnaissance competition for his debut choreography, Crossroad.

Known for his elegant and fluid style, Dianor blends different movement techniques, stripping them of spectacle to focus on raw expression. His work fosters dialogue between art forms, collaborating with musicians, visual artists, actors and writers. Since 2014, he has worked closely with electro-soul composer Awir Leon.

In 2021, he co-created CinéDanse, a collection of short dance films, and in 2022, he was selected by the Big Pulse Dance Alliance. That year, he also presented Siguifin, showcasing West African artists, and choreographed for South Africa’s Via Katlehong. His 2023 works include Love You, Drink Water, a filmed dance concert, and DUB, a large-scale piece for 11 dancers.

With 21 works and six short films in his repertoire, his company tours internationally. Honoured with the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 2019 and promoted to Officer in 2024, Dianor remains a prolific force in contemporary dance.

Philharmonie de Paris; Le Volcan, National Stage of Le Havre; Les Nuits de Fourvière – International Festival of the Lyon Metropolitan Area; MC2-Grenoble.

Look out for further Dance Umbrella 2025 Festival announcements.