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Dance Umbrella: Change Tempo

Lilian Steiner / María del Mar Suárez (La Chachi)

Two images side by side: a dancer performs in siren song and two dancers perform in Random Taranto

Dance Umbrella Festival's Change Tempo programme brings a double bill that introduces two distinctive international artists set to make their mark, while challenging expectations of dance. 

See two vibrant UK premieres in one night.  

Siren Dance by Stockholm-based Australian artist and Cullberg dancer Lilian Steiner plays with seduction, illusion and shifting truths. A siren beckons – an invitation laced with desire and deception. The dance unfolds, morphs and adapts, slipping between honesty and artifice, drawing the audience into its magnetic pull. It’s a mesmerising exploration of power, transformation, and the fine line between authenticity and disguise.  

Random Taranto by Spanish flamenco dancer María del Mar Suárez (La Chachi), turns the everyday into something extraordinary. Two women share a moment – eating sunflower seeds, exchanging glances – until flamenco erupts, raw and electric. Stripped back to voice and movement, this playful take on the Taranto form pulses with irreverence and unexpected humour.  

Part of Dance Umbrella Festival 2025, London’s leading festival of international dance, this show brings bold choreography and fresh perspectives to the stage.

Age guidance: 12+

Running time: approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes, including a 20 minute interval

Content warnings:
Siren Dance includes a small amount of nudity and one loud scream (approximately 20 minutes into the show).

In Random Taranto, sunflower seeds are eaten on stage.

 

Presented by Dance Umbrella and the Barbican.

 

The early research and premiere of Siren Dance was supported by Deltebre Dansa & B.Motion (Operaestate Veneto, Bassano del Grappa), Dancehouse Melbourne, Besen Foundation and Lucy Guerin Inc. 

Members and Members Plus enjoy 20% off ticket prices for this show.

No booking fee. Subject to availability.

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Corporate Members enjoy discounted ticket prices to this performance.   

2 tickets max per booking. Subject to availability. 

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£10

Wheelchair spaces, free companion seats may now be booked online.    
Please select the relevant preferences on the access registration page during your booking so we can provide you with the correct information and discounts.    

Booking a wheelchair space:
Select a seat displaying the wheelchair user icon and then select wheelchair user ticket type. The ticket will be priced at the lowest price for that event. If you need an essential companion, please select the E icon next to the wheelchair space you have selected.    

Booking essential companion tickets:
Please select at least two tickets and one of them will be automatically discounted to zero in the basket.    

Booking British Sign Language or Captioned Seats:
Select seats in the area appropriate to your needs.   

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Groups (10+)   
Groups can book at a 20% discount, subject to availability. Contact [email protected] to make a group booking.   

Schools  
£12*, subject to availability.

Students
50% off on Wednesday performances only, subject to availability.

Under 16’s   
Save 50%, subject to availability. 

*If you are a teacher or group leader planning a trip, you can receive up to £300 towards the cost of a visit to a wide variety of inspiring venues managed by the City of London Corporation. Find out more.

*Excludes £1.50 booking fee

Reviews

‘Siren Dance was an absolute maelstrom of a performance; it sucked you in, helplessly.‘
Reviews Hub
‘Groundbreaking, intense, hypnotic, magisterial and visceral are a few of the adjectives the show has reaped wherever it has been presented.‘
Comunidad de Madrid on Random Taranto

The Pit