Dance Umbrella announces major funding for Diversifying Curatorial Stewardship programme

Published on: Wednesday May 20, 2026

Dance Umbrella today announces a major funding award from Arts Council England supported by National Lottery and the British Council for its Diversifying Curatorial Stewardship (DCS) programme.

DCS is Dance Umbrella’s major multi‑year initiative (2026–28) designed to transform curatorial leadership within the UK and international dance ecology. The project responds to a clearly evidenced sector gap: the absence of visible, supported career pathways for curators — particularly Black/Brown Global Majority, predominantly female‑identifying and non-binary practitioners — and the resulting lack of diversity within those who shape artistic programmes, narratives and decision‑making.

DCS aims to create structural, long‑term change by widening who curates, how curation is practiced, and who has access to networks, resources and influence. The programme builds on Dance Umbrella’s sector‑facing research (2023-24), which identified five recurring barriers to diverse curatorial leadership: lack of pathways, undervaluing of lived experience, unequal access to networks, freelance precarity, and limited spaces for honest dialogue about power and representation.

“This next chapter for Dance Umbrella is not just about who we see on stage, but also about who gets to shape and decide what we see on stage. Curators play a vital role in framing artistic and cultural discourse: what gets programmed ultimately influences the art form itself, and the wider cultural landscape both locally and globally.

Having worked as an independent dance artist for over 20 years, I’ve had several key opportunities to develop my curatorial practice, and those experiences were critical in enabling me to be in the room and part of the conversation that led to my current role at Dance Umbrella. I know first-hand how important an intervention like DCS can be.

Working diligently with our partners, this programme is not only about investing in a new generation of curatorial voices; it is about challenging inherited models, opening up equitable power dynamics, and inviting new perspectives into what 21st century global artistic and cultural discourse can and should be.”

Freddie Opoku-Addaie, Artistic Director & Co-CEO

Diversifying Curatorial Stewardship is a major systemic‑change programme designed to reimagine who curates dance, how curatorial power is held, and how diverse perspectives can shape the future of the artform.

Through a combination of structured development pathways, international collaboration, organisational change work and sector advocacy, DCS seeks to create long‑lasting impact, ensuring the dance ecology becomes more equitable, connected, imaginative and representative.

Find out more about the programme structure, impact and objectives here

Dance Umbrella 2026 full festival programme, including this year’s Guest Curator, will be announced on 16 June.

Funders: Arts Council England, British Council, Backstage Trust and Fonds Podiumkunsten.

Partners: Areowaves, DanceEast, Fabric and The Lowry