Touch The Floor, curated by Anthea Lewis/ Blulilli Projects as Guest Curator for Dance Umbrella Festival 2026, explores Black British social dance cultures and the spaces, experiences and communities that have shaped them.
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Touch The Floor begins with the body. The place where movement, memory and experience resonate.
The body is not simply a place where memory is held, but a living archive where feeling, knowledge and movement are embodied, exchanged and carried forward. Through dance, knowledge and culture are embodied, shared and passed on. The dance floor becomes more than a physical place; it is something created through coming together, wherever people gather, move, connect and exchange.
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Across generations, Black social dance spaces have been places of belonging, expression, refuge, resistance, healing, celebration and cultural exchange. Many of the memories and experiences held within them exist beyond formal archives, continuing instead through bodies, movements, music, stories and shared experience.
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Touch The Floor brings these histories and living practices into focus at a time when the ways we gather, remember and share culture continue to change. Through dance, movement, music, conversation, archives and collective making, the programme explores where memories live, how they move between us, and what we carry forward.
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The Dance Floor Is Our Archive: Where Memory Lives in Motion.
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TOUCH THE FLOOR
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Part of Dance Umbrella Festival 2026
24 October 2026 at Rich Mix, East London, 1pm-11.30pm
A day of dance, movement, conversation, archives and collective making exploring Black British social dance cultures and the memories, histories and communities that live through them.
From the dance floor to the archive, Touch The Floor brings people together to share experiences, encounter histories and explore how culture is remembered, passed on and continually made anew.
Touch The Floor Introduction by
Gary Nurse
Dancer, choreographer, DJ, Director and Acting Coach. Pioneer of the UK Jazz Dance scene and founding member of I Dance Jazz (IDJ).
Let’s begin by defining the phrase TOUCH THE FLOOR. Is the term literal, metaphorical or metaphysical? It’s simply spiritual, but as we enter the space where music and dance is embraced by the open heart, we’ll take a deeper dive into mind, body and soul and unpack how this form of expression creates neural pathways to the souls of our ancestors.
Complexed? Maybe, so how can we dissect these conundrums in simplistic ways without being pretentiously vague? The struggle to define clear relationships can be met by complications, but I beg the question, is nature vs nurture, or talent vs hard work even worth asking, or understanding? My contention is neither matters. The only imperative is to understand the origin of source. There’s where the magic resides. Delve into your past, view your present and see what lies ahead for your future.
Music and dance is integral in how we feel. Rhythm triggers the movement, melody touches the heart. They find us without us having to find them. These secrets reside within the inner sanctuary
of the receiver’s soul. This is the place where peace is found and euphoria experienced. Every party, club, church hall, youth club courts a platform for one to express, but each experience is unique to the vessel that fully embraces it. A dance floor sets the stage. The precocious teen, desperate to enter the cypher as the games begin. What defines gift? Why do certain individuals possess that JE NE SAIS QUOI and how are these superpowers measured? We cannot argue with preference, but gifted is recognised by all and these elite abilities manifest once love, passion and euphoria is applied to technique. To decipher all of the above... Bring back the clubs! Allow the former to display itself as the present and journey into the future. It’s time to sing again and dance together, even if it’s in the form of the ubiquitous ELECTRIC SLIDE. Let’s share untutored expression with a heart stamp of
approval and forget our woes. The tabernacle still stands and our ancestors still cry. Through the healing source of music and dance, we’ll break the curse and bury the trauma. We’ll bridge the gap between spirit and carnal and relish in its fruits and basque in its glory. Let’s not wrap ourselves in technical mechanics in order to enjoy. The mirror should never be the studio, only the windows of the soul, so let’s collectively ‘TOUCH THE FLOOR’!
Explore the programme
