Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (GDIF)  is London’s leading festival of free outdoor performing arts (theatre, dance, and street arts). In 2015, the Festival featured over a hundred performances by dozens of national and international companies with more than 100,000 people attending the outdoor shows in East and South London.

Although there are plenty of performances based in Greenwich and other locations, the focus in Canary Wharf is Dancing City which takes place on the 1st and 2nd July. Dancing City is the UK’s largest annual outdoor programme of free outdoor dance with performances from UK and international dance companies. The locations for the performances are the parks, piazzas and waterfronts of Canary Wharf. To give some idea of what performances are planned, here us a quick checklist.

In Mijn Hoofd   1 – 2 July 2016

Time: Friday 13:00 & 17:30; Saturday 13:50 & 15:35

Presented by Beeldend Danstheater Telder

Neuroscience combines with art as dancers perform in, within and around a giant sculptural head created by artist Pieter van de Pol at Dancing City.

Westferry Circus Canary Wharf, London E14 4BE

Nomadis   1 – 2 July 2016

Time: Friday 14:00 & 18:30; Saturday 13:25 & 16:15

Presented by HumanHood

Two nomads meet and form an immediate bond. Their bodies sync as they react and respond to their new found situation in this Dancing City sensation.

Friday: Jubilee Plaza, Canary Wharf, London E14 5NY; Saturday: Canary Riverside, E Ferry Rd, London E14 8RR

Phone Box  1 – 2 July 2016

Time: Friday 13:00 & 17:30; Saturday 14:25 & 16:40

Presented by Corey Baker Dance

The red telephone box is a British icon but with this performance from Corey Baker Dance you’ll see it in a whole new light at Dancing City.

Friday: Jubilee Plaza, Canary Wharf, London E14 5NY; Saturday: Wren Landing, Canary Wharf, London

You and I Know  1 – 2 July 2016

Time: Friday 13.30 & 18:00; Saturday 14.35 & 16:40

Presented by Candoco Dance Company

Choreographed by the trailblazing Arlene Phillips, this London premiere at Dancing City plays with and disrupts the traditional love duet.

Jubilee Plaza, Canary Wharf, London E14 5NY

Act of Strangers 2 July 2016

Time: 15:00 & 16:15

Presented by Chloe Loftus Dance

In a world where communication is so often via a screen this show reminds us of the simplicity and warmth of human contact.

Cubitt Steps, Poplar, London E14 4QA

ASUELTO 2 July 2016

Time: 13:00 & 15:45

Presented by HURyCAN

HURyCAN returns to GDIF at Dancing City with a new production explores life as an organism.

Jubilee Plaza, Canary Wharf, London E14 5NY

H.O.H  2 July 2016

Time: 14:05 & 16:10

Presented by Far From The Norm

Hip Hop theatre meets the beautiful game in this high energy dance piece, including fast-paced footwork and physical floor work.

Jubilee Plaza, Canary Wharf, London E14 5NY

SLICE  2 July 2016

Time: 13:00, 14:10, 15:25 & 16:45

Presented by Wired Aerial Theatre

An atmospheric, adrenaline-fueled performance exploring ideas of identity and territorial impulses as dancers soar and swoop through the air.

Montgomery Square, Canary Wharf, London E14

STÜCK  2 July 2016

Time: 13:30 & 15:05

Presented by Up & Over It

Stuck with each other and stuck in a rut, folk dance misfits, Up & Over It take a whimsical look at the ups and downs of sticking together at Dancing City.

Jubilee Plaza, Canary Wharf, London E14 5NY

Without End  2 July 2016

Time: 13:00, 15:10 & 16:45

Presented by the Middleton Corpus

Against the background of the River Thames, three Dancing City dancers explore the concept of time, asking the question, ‘can anything last forever?’

Canary Riverside, E Ferry Rd, London E14 8RR

For more information, visit the festival website here