Freddie Opoku-Addaie appointed artistic director of Dance Umbrella

Freddie Opoku-Addaie has been appointed artistic director and chief executive of Dance Umbrella.

Taking over from Emma Gladstone, Opoku-Addaie is the fourth person appointed to the role of leading the festival.

Opoku-Addaie is a choreographer, dancer, performer, curator and teacher, and was previously a guest curator for Dance Umbrella during a three-year initiative from 2016 to 2019.

He begins the role part-time from March and full-time from May.

"I am thrilled to be working with the fantastic Dance Umbrella team again as the next artistic director and chief executive, following on from the visionary Emma Gladstone," Opoku-Addaie said.

"I’m seeing and listening to a generation of artists, creatives and communities who are fuelling a shared movement beyond the established mainstream platforms.

"This is an opportunity of a lifetime to tangibly expand the global festival stage for contemporary dance and performance."

He added: "The artist and audience experience has shifted beyond 3ts (tick-box/tokenism/tolerated) of diversity.

"In challenging times it’s more essential than ever that we collaborate to deliver some exciting moves."

Chair of Dance Umbrella’s board Jake Ulrich said: "We couldn’t be happier or more excited about Freddie leading the festival into the future.

"Our long-standing relationship with him, coupled with his vision and expertise made him a stand-out candidate in a very strong field.

"This is a game-changing appointment for us. I cannot wait to see how his plans and ideas develop."