Dance

Val Bourne Founder
of Dance Umbrella

Val Bourne, you could say, has been to UK contemporary dance what Tony Wilson was to Madchester – one of the foremost tastemakers in her field. Bourne, now 66, a former Royal Ballet dancer-turned-arts administrator, founded the Dance Umbrella festival in 1978, to give a much-needed platform to the dancers and choreographers of the fledgling contemporary scene. Feature continues

Twenty-six years on, the annual Dance Umbrella has become one of Europe’s leading dance events, reaching audiences of over 40,000 each year, staging high-profile events such as Merce Cunningham’s 2003 performance in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, and providing a platform for the early careers of, among others, Michael Clark and Mark Morris.

Bourne must have a good eye for burgeoning talent. ‘I can’t really claim that,’ she says modestly. ‘I’ve always known what I liked.’ Nor has she lost any of her enthusiasm for finding new talent or initiating bigger and better events. ‘I get a kick out of it. There’s always something almost unattainable that you’re determined to do.’

Bourne picked up a CBE last year for services to dance, but Dance Umbrella remains as edgy as ever. This year’s festival, which starts in September, will feature major companies, little-known artists and everything in between. There’s a distinctly French flavour, with Lyon Opera Ballet, Paris Opera and Royal Ballet superstar Sylvie Guillem on the bill.

Bourne is also planning a series of ‘Brief Encounters’, where young London-based choreographers Jean Abreu, Niklas Laustiola and Rashpal Singh Bansal will perform in half-hour slots before some of the bigger shows. ‘The idea is to introduce a more established audience to new choreography,’ says Bourne. ‘We’re trying to give the artists encouragement and status.’ Despite a wealth of talent in the UK, she believes sparse funding makes dance a precarious career.

What advice does Bourne have for dance virgins who are still suspicious of contemporary dance and don’t quite know what to expect? ‘I think that’s one of its great assets,’ she says. ‘I find it exciting that you don’t know what will happen when the lights go out.’