Dance Umbrella

British annual dance festival, based in London, which presents modern and post-modern dance. Its first programme was organized by V. Bourne in 1978, at the request of the Arts Council, and its success led to large-scale expansion. The London management team has gone on to organize similar festivals in other towns (e.g. Woking and Newcastle) and promoted national tours by visiting artists. Boston (US) also ran an annual Dance Umbrella festival, founded in 1980 by Jeremy Alliger but threatened with closure in 1999.