Battersea Power Station To Open London’s Dance Umbrella Festival Of International Dance

Londoners and tourists are invited to Battersea Power Station this October for the launch of Dance Umbrella, London’s leading international dance festival, to witness a thrilling live performance in front of the iconic chimneys.

Kicking off the annual festival which takes place across London every October, the first show, Origami, sees a large shipping container unfurl and change shape while a dancer performs on its ever-moving edges. The performance will take place on the banks of the River Thames at Battersea Power Station’s Circus West Village, the first phase of the regeneration.

Created by Paris-based artists Satchie Noro and Silvain Ohl with music by Fred Costa, Origami is coming to the capital for the first time and will be shown on 11th October at 1.30pm and 7.30pm on the newly created riverwalk at Circus West Village, Battersea Power Station.

Inspired by the Japanese art of paper folding, this 40 minute, free performance is a heart-stopping spectacle where the container gently moves, creating a geometric performance space where dancer Satchie Noro dangles from its sharp corners and glides on its edges.

Dance Umbrella has partnered with The Big Draw, the UK’s biggest drawing festival, and is inviting spectators of the show to draw what they see. Guests are encouraged to take a picture of their artwork, upload it to The Big Draw website and tag @DanceUmbrellaUK and @TheBigDraw using hashtags #OrigamiChallenge, #DUFest17. The four winning entries will be published online for the duration of October.

Alongside this, Battersea Power Station will offer an additional prize as part of the #OrigamiChallenge. Entrants who tag @BatterseaPwrStn when they submit an image from the Battersea shows to the #OrigamiChallenge hashtag, will be entered into a draw to win an exclusive tour of the Power Station with a guest at a later date.

The event is free to attend. There will be two showings on Wednesday 11th October, one at 1.30pm and a later showing at 7.30pm. Visitors to Circus West Village will also be able to check out the new restaurants and shops that have opened at this first phase of the regeneration. These include Mother, a pizza restaurant from Copenhagen, No. 29 Power Station West, a new village pub and The Battersea General Store. Boom Cycle, the lifestyle brand known for its music-focused spin classes, has also opened at Circus West Village this summer.