Of Riders and Running Horses, NCP Car Park Farringdon, London, review: It’s high energy, but the mood is relaxed

The dancing is cheerful and spontaneous, with skips and runs and hip hop twitches

This year’s Dance Umbrella festival starts on a rooftop (Paul Blakemore)

Dancing under the stars, or anyway under London streetlamps: this year’s Dance Umbrella festival starts on a rooftop. Five women emerge from the crowd on the top floor of a multi-storey car park, dipping and turning to the music of a live band. It’s a friendly show, but likeable rather than euphoric.

Created by choreographer Dan Canham and Still House, Of Riders and Running Horses is designed to be performed outdoors, finding room for dance in city spaces - a theme in this year’s festival. People watch from neighbouring office blocks as the crowd gather, lit by floodlamps and fairy lights. Singer Sam Halmarack just walks in and starts singing, crooning over Luke Harney’s beat.

The dancing is cheerful and spontaneous, with skips and runs and hip hop twitches. The women start with solos or twirl into unison sequences. It’s high energy, but the mood is relaxed, with a sense of trying out moves. At the end, the dancers run in circles, catching hands with audience members, or pulling them up to join in general dancing. For such an elaborate set-up – taking over a large urban space, with power supply and crowd management – it’s a low-key affair.

Until 18 October, then touring. Dance Umbrella runs until 31 October.