Bigger and bolder than ever before, Certain Blacks Ensemble Festival 2025 returns for a sixth edition!
This July, Certain Blacks presents Ensemble Festival 2025 in London’s historic Royal Victoria Docks. Now in its sixth edition, this outdoor celebration of circus, dance, physical theatre and street art returns for two full days, 26th & 27th July. It’s FREE, suitable for all and strives to be accessible for everyone.
Taking place once again at the Docklands waterside destination as with previous Ensemble events, 2025 highlights include Hydropunk, an interactive water installation by outdoor arts veterans Artizani alongside the sustainability-focused Tenderfoot Theatre, HUG by Levantes Dance Theatre - an aerial performance exploring the simple act of a hug. Waiting Song by circus director Mish Weaver is a trapeze duet reflecting on how hopes for the future shape the way we speak and move. Returning to Ensemble Festival, Olivier Award winner Francesca Baglione (aka Miss High Leg Kick) delivers a multi-sensory and wacky flashback to a night out at a 1950s dance hall in PALAIS DE DANSE, while Roots to Rise from Nandita Shankardass blends dance with poetry in a call to ecological and ancestral reconnection.
Inventive physical comedian Tiago Fonseca performs NoMo, a topical clown show about contemporary screen addiction and TELL ME by Sadiq Ali Co. addresses the stigma around HIV via circus, blending the breathtaking art of Chinese pole acrobatics with physical storytelling. Legendary theatre director David Glass joins forces with renowned artist Vidya Thirunarayan to co-present Holy Dirt uniting earth, myth and movement in a piece combining Indian performance styles with modern physical theatre forms, such as bouffon and melodrama. The Hide from Tilly Ingram offers an audio-led birdwatching installation with themes of hidden disability. Closing the weekend with radical joy, TRUTH by outdoor artists Ramshacklicious and inclusive theatre company Hijinxare are set to transform the docks into a revolutionary street theatre extravaganza.
With step-free access, accessible toilets, and a dedicated access team on site, Certain Blacks is committed to ensuring everyone feels supported at the Ensemble Festival 2025.