DANCE / CULTURE at Victoria Leeds

For three days, Victoria Gate became a stage as Balbir Singh Dance Company brought DANCE / CULTURE to the heart of Leeds, filling the space with performance, fashion, food, colour and cultural exchange.

2026 to 2027

Our first collaboration with Victoria Quarter transformed the shopping destination into a place for people to stop, watch, join in and experience something unexpected. From 12pm to 4pm each day, dancers and artists performed throughout the space, creating moments of celebration and connection among the everyday rhythm of the city.

Dance Culture

Across the three days, South Asian dance took centre stage through a programme of solos, duets and ensemble performances. Appearing within the open spaces of Victoria Gate, the performances invited shoppers to pause for a few minutes, gather around and experience dance up close.

But DANCE / CULTURE was also about celebrating different cultures and forms of movement. Classical Chinese dancers Hui and Ying brought another beautiful tradition into the programme, alongside contemporary dancer Eleanor and the energy of Havana salsa dancers Eli and Sabine.

Together, the artists created a programme that moved between traditions, cultures and styles, reflecting the diversity of Leeds itself.

A collaboration with Uyare

The weekend also marked the beginning of an exciting relationship with Uyare, the South Indian restaurant at Victoria Quarter. Uyare served food and refreshments throughout the event and became the setting for our after-party, bringing another important part of culture into the weekend: sharing food and spending time together.

Culture is something we experience through our senses, from movement, music and colour to taste, smell and the sharing of food. It was a natural partnership and one that opened up conversations about how food, dance and culture can come together in new ways. We’re looking forward to seeing where the relationship takes us next.

From saris to the catwalk

Audiences weren’t only there to watch. Shoppers were invited to discover the art of wearing a sari before taking to our impromptu catwalk, turning cultural exchange into something playful, shared and participatory.

Retail Therapy fit for a Prince

For Retail Therapy, dancer Kali became a prince, with Kesha and Mansi as his entourage, taking a playful tour through Victoria Quarter and bringing performance directly to shoppers and retailers.

Over three days, DANCE / CULTURE brought dance, food, fashion and tradition into everyday life, creating unexpected encounters with culture in the heart of Leeds.

Our thanks to Victoria Quarter, Uyare, our brilliant artists and everyone who stopped, watched and joined in.

Dancers

Devika Rao
Eleanor Stephenson
Hui Jing
Kali Chandrasegaram
Kesha Raithatha
Mansi Debral
Ying Pu

Musician

John Ball

Photographers

Balbir Singh
Meg Erridge
Morgan Girvin

Videographers

Fraser Kinnon
Shivani Kaushik

Producer

Kade Ferraiolo

BSDC Support

Jinrou Niu