These are my first two reviews from the Digital Pass section of this year’s Dance Umbrella festival – which runs until 30 Nov. This initative allows audiences to discover Dance Umbrella’s curation of dance films and documentaries, alongside talks and panel discussions filmed during this year’s festival.
Available for viewing within London’s international dance festival, there are panel discussions, artist encounters, dance films, documentaries, and more.
Cie Omar Rajeh & Maqamat: The Odor of Elephants After The Rain (38 min) is a dance film bearing witness to Beirut and its people in the aftermath of a devastating explosion. It begins with images of desolation: discordant radio sounds and electronic feedback accompany an abandoned, skeletal-looking space, filmed from above and surrounded by the constant movement of traffic. A body lies prone on the floor, its blurred movements suggesting an echo of something lost, or perhaps a memory struggling to return.
The film then shifts to an industrial interior, where a woman slowly rises and begins to move. Her fluid gestures gradually connect her to the space around her. As music begins to emerge from the soundtrack, her dancing becomes more assured, although she remains alone, seemingly confronting her own shadow.
This sense of isolation gives way to a second sequence, moving us into a different location and introducing further dancers. Low strings and electronic sounds accompany increasingly restless movement: a woman spins, apparently searching for a man, while his body responds with sharp, aggressive spasms. The choreography becomes more urgent, reflecting the tension and dislocation of a community in crisis.
As the film progresses, its focus expands beyond individual bodies to encompass the city itself. Busy streets, scaffolding, shops changing spaces become integral to the choreography, suggesting how people, places and shared experiences are inseparable.
Conceived and choreographed by Omar Rajeh and directed by Selim Mourad, with dancers Mia Habis, Charlie Prince, and Rajeh himself, the film develops from an initial sense of loss and fragmentation into a more expansive reflection on memory, identity and the resilience of a community.
Intermedia Producciones: Gurumbe – Afro-Andalusian Memories (70 min) takes a different approach, using documentary storytelling to uncover the African roots of flamenco, one of Spain’s most iconic cultural traditions. Presented in Spanish and written and directed by Miguel Ángel Rosales, the film explores the customs, histories and cultural exchanges behind this rich fusion of song, music and dance.
Particularly fascinating are the voices of older generations, whose memories and conversations reveal experiences and influences that have helped shape the tradition. Storytelling, evocative photography and music combine to celebrate endurance, cultural identity and resilience.
The performers, Aurelia Martín Casares, Raúl Rodríguez, Isidoro Moreno, Elena Morán, José Antonio Piqueras, Fahmi Alqhai, Abuy Nfubea, Christiane Stallaert, Yinka Esi Graves are all deeply committed to the form of flamenco, their movement an expressive engagement with the world around them.
Both works remind us that dance is never simply movement: it carries histories, preserves memories and gives expression to communities whose stories deserve to be heard.