Stephanie Lake's COLOSSUS Will Make UK Premiere at Southbank Centre

Stephanie Lake take make her UK debut with Colossus, as part of the Southbank Centre's 75th anniversary programme. Performances will run Thu 25 – Sat 27 June 2026 at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.

From darkness they emerge, a dizzying mass of pulsating bodies. The push and pull of humanity is embodied in this heaving throng of life, but can a crowd be more than the sum of its parts? 

This riveting, hypnotic dance work from leading Australian choreographer Stephanie Lake explores relationships between the individual and the collective; solitary striving and joyous union. As complex patterns ripple through the flood of figures, a single movement triggers a chain reaction and wrenches the fragile whole from chaos into order. 

With a cast of sixty final year students from London Contemporary Dance School at The Place performing as one hypnotic unit, the show offers a searing reflection of the world around us. The show has travelled all over the world and, although the choreography remains unchanged, each iteration mutates in response to the setting it finds itself in, offering an astute commentary on the particularities of its surroundings.

The presentation of COLOSSUS is made possible with the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels.

Aaron Wright, Head of Performance & Dance at the Southbank Centre, said: “We're hugely anticipating choreographer Stephanie Lake's epic COLOSSUS as a key moment in our 75th anniversary celebrations. The Southbank Centre has long pointed to the future of dance and this ambitious project marks the UK debut of Australia's most in demand choreographer. Stephanie is working with sixty dancers from the London Contemporary Dance School in an unprecedented collaboration with The Place and the Southbank Centre. COLOSSUS not only creates a major opportunity for a new generation of dancers, but also offers a brilliant entry point to dance for audiences unfamiliar with the artform.”

Stephanie Lake, choreographer and Director of the Stephanie Lake Company, said: "I am thrilled that COLOSSUS is coming to the Southbank Centre this June. Sixty London dancers will flood the stage and we can't wait for UK audiences to experience the show. After 17 seasons in nine countries, performed by over 850 dancers worldwide, we are so happy that the show will have its UK premiere. COLOSSUS celebrates the power of the collective and the joy and tension of humanity in motion."

Clare Connor, Chief Executive of The Place and London Contemporary Dance School, said: "Our collaboration with the Southbank Centre has opened the door to an extraordinary artistic exchange for our students. Working with Stephanie Lake -  one of Australia's most influential contemporary dance voices - to create and perform COLOSSUS offers them a rare and transformative experience at the culmination of their three years of study.

This partnership speaks directly to the ambition of The Place and London Contemporary Dance School to build a world with more dance: a world where emerging artists can work alongside leading international choreographers, take creative risks and shape the cultural landscape. Our students consistently rise to these moments with remarkable creativity and commitment, showing the promise and potential of the next generation."

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