London’s leading contemporary dance festival, Dance Umbrella have announced the first show of the 2026 festival. Jack Anderson, and Charlotte Mclean, in collaboration with Malin Lewis combine Highland dance, Irish dance and live piping in not for glory; a dance-theatre gig taking place at Cecil Sharp House on Tuesday 13th October – Wednesday 14th October 2026.

Rebellious, funny and fiercely alive, not for glory makes a powerful case for reclaiming what we inherit on our own terms. Whether you know your reels from your jigs or have never been within ten feet of a set of pipes, this is a show that will pull you onto the dance floor and not let go.

The performers revisit the traditions they grew up in – and the result is virtuosic, visceral and uncompromising. They dissect their heritage while dancing solidarity, balancing pride with shame and vulnerability with breathtaking skill. It’s bodies, bagpipes and brutality. It’s kilts, queerness and ceremonial violence. Back beats collide with high cuts, striking into a battering, flinging skirl.

Co-presented with the English Folk Dance & Song Society and The Place, The costume designer is Cloe Rose McCabe with lighting design and production management by Emma Jones. The Creative Producer is Helen McIntosh. Supported by Creative Scotland, The Work Room, Dance Base, Traditional Dance Forum Scotland, Ullapool Village Hall. Supported by Cockayne Grants for the Arts, a Donor Advised Fund, held at The Prism Charitable Trust.

Full details of all the events in the 2026 Dance Festival can be found on their website.