Dystopia to Utopia: Reimagining Our Future

Part of the East Bank Creative Programme 2022

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

Thursday 22 September, 7.30pm & 8.15pm

Commissioned as part of East Bank’s 2022 Creative Programme and set against the stunning backdrop of the rising East Bank buildings on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Dystopia to Utopia: Reimagining Our Future is a large-scale outdoor performance fusing dance, music, spoken word and film. Creatively produced by East London Dance in partnership with UD Music, the performance includes an 80 strong cast of community, youth and professional dancers and singers from east London. 

At sunset on Thursday 22 September the East Bank site on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will come to life with projection and genre-bending performance, inspired by the theme of Dystopia/Utopia set by renowned publication gal-dem. Co-designed by the young people, community cast and creative team, the piece re-imagines our future as we come together as a community following the pandemic. 

The performance will mark the arrival of the East Bank Partners onto theQueen Elizabeth Olympic Park as University College London opens its doors this September, with UAL: London College of Fashion, V&A East, BBC Music and Sadler’s Wells East soon to follow.

Both performances (7.30pm and 8.15pm) are the same, lasting approximately 20 minutes each. Join us on the platform below Tessa Jowell Boulevard, opposite East Bank on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (what3words: script.famous.return).

Commissioned and produced by East Bank Partners: University College London, UAL: London College of Fashion, V&A East, BBC Music and Sadler’s Wells East

Creatively produced at the Talent House by East London Dance in partnership with UD Music, responding to a creative brief by gal-dem

Creative Director, Dannielle ‘Rhimes’ Lecointe, with additional choreography by Olu Alatise, Natasha Cox & Dominic Hamilton

Music Producer, Tony Nwachukwu, with additional musical direction by Andy Gilbert

Featuring a community and professional dance cast, East London Youth Dance Company & Flames Collective.

Film features ‘My Hood,’ a film by Alice Underwood, choreographed by Jordan ‘JFunk’ Franklin with music production by Andy Gilbert, and performances by Y.O.U Collective and Flames Collective; extra footage captured by Missing Pixels and artwork by Erin Aniker and Cherelle Sappleton

For more information about the East Bank Creative Programme click here.