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GET READY FOR DANCING IN THE STREETS THIS SATURDAY AS WALES CELEBRATES BIG STREET DANCE DAY |
They’ll be salsa-ing on the streets of Swansea, break dancing in Barry and even dancing on the walls of a Llandudno theatre, as Wales celebrates Big Street Dance Day, this Saturday 14th July. Wales’s first ever Big Street Dance Day will see dance companies taking to town centres, parks, piers and other public places with free performances, workshops, and events that members of the public can join in with. It’s part of Big Dance 2012, the UK’s biggest ever celebration of dance and one of the many ways the creative arts world is celebrating the 2012 Olympics, as it aims to inspire creativity and create a lasting legacy. Big Dance Cymru is co-created in Wales by Wales Millennium Centre and Dance Cymru, and Big Street Dance Day is the culmination of Big Dance Week, which has seen professional and amateur events taking place across the whole of Wales. Here in Wales, Llandudno, Cardiff, Swansea, Barry and the National Botanic Garden of Wales in Carmarthen are all hosting special programmes of dance events this Saturday. And there’s also a host of other dance performances happening across Wales. BIG STREET DANCE DAY PROGRAMMES Llandudno: Llandudno’s famous promenade hosts Big Street Dance Day, with a programme of free dance-related activities based in and around Adain Avion, a mobile art space housed in the fuselage of a DC-9 aeroplane, currently touring Wales as part of the Cultural Olympiad. Highlights of the day include a mass Zumba class, workshops with Rambert Dance Company – and even a vertical dance on the walls of Venue Cymru. One of the most ambitious performances of Big Street Dance Day, Aviatrix (3pm and 6pm) is created by Kate Lawrence and Lisa Spaull and will be performed by Kate on one of the outside walls of the theatre. It is inspired by Amelia Earhart, who became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic when she landed in Wales in 1928 – but disappeared less than 10 years later during another intrepid adventure. Aviatrix is part of The Dance Collective Big Dance Trail (2pm-3.30pm), a selection of movement installations that embrace different styles of dance, from contemporary to street and breaking. Migrations will present The Journey / Y Daith (1pm and 3.30pm), as part of the Adain Avion series of cultural events. Portuguese choreographer Filipa Francisco and composer Antonio Pedró collaborate with local folk dance groups to create a unique take on the flash mob phenomena, but with an added folk step twist. The full programme in Llandudno runs as follows: 9.30am-11am – workshops with the prestigious Rambert Dance Company 10am-11am – mass Zumba on the promenade 11.30am, 12pm, 5pm and 5.30pm – A Solo For Margot, Cai Thomas 12pm -2pm – Llandudno Sailing Club Regatta 1pm-2pm, 3.30pm-4.30pm – Migrations presents The Journey / Y Daith, Filipa Francisco and local folk dance groups 2pm-2.45pm – Dymphna Darcy Dance Films 2pm – 3.30pm – Dance Collective Dance Trail along the promenade (supported by Conwy Arts Service, Venue Cymru and Big Dance Cymru) 3pm-3.30pm, 6pm-6.30pm – Aviatrix, a vertical solo dance created by Kate Lawrence and Lisa Spaull. Cardiff: Wales Millennium Centre will be the focal point for Cardiff’s Big Street Dance Day events on Saturday July 14th. Coming to Wales for the first time is The Readers, from French company David Rolland Chorégraphies (outside Wales Millennium Centre at 2pm, and outside City Hall at 4pm if the weather is dry, inside Wales Millennium Centre if it is raining). This is a mass-participatory performance where the audience becomes the performers. Each is given a booklet filled with minute instructions based on simple movements and gestures to create a truly unique contemporary dance work. Big Dance Week and Big Street Dance Day also coincide with Blysh, Wales Millennium Centre’s annual festival of carnival and cabaret, which takes over the Centre for the whole of July. Big Dance highlights of Blysh include cabaret circuit favourites Kitsch Kats (Saturday 14th July, 3.30pm and 7pm, and Sunday 15th July, 1.30pm, Glanfa Stage – free performance, just turn up on the day). This dynamic comedy dance duo bring to life a host of colourful kitsch characters through the medium of high-energy dance, from Bollywood to vogueing, Charleston to jive. Bongo Bolero (Sunday 15th July, 1pm and 3pm, Glanfa Stage – free performance, just turn up on the day) create extraordinary acrobalance and acrobatic performances that combine circus, comedy and decidedly dodgy dancing that will have you roaring with laughter. Havana in 1957 is the scene for Revolution Cubana (Weston Studio, Thursday 12th to Saturday 14th July, 029 2063 6464, £8 to £12). The night is young and the rum is flowing on the steaming hot streets of the Cuban capital. An evening of excess, sin and cigars; there’s one hell of a party on the horizon. Show girls and circus acts will dazzle you as you enter the streets, but beware… the guerillas are gathering. Fancy dress is optional but highly recommended! The evening will see two performances of the musical, Chicago (Donald Gordon Theatre, Wales Millennium Centre, 5pm and 8.30pm, 029 2063 6464, £11-£37.50). It tells of cell block rivals, murderesses Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, who fight to keep themselves from death row with the help of smooth talking lawyer, Billy Flynn. Starring Ali Bastian, Stefan Booth, Tupele Dorgu and Bernie Nolan, big song and dance numbers include All That Jazz and Razzle Dazzle. The full programme in Cardiff runs as follows: Midday-8pm Coreo Cymru Dance Dome Outside Wales Millennium Centre by ffresh 1.30pm Rayguns Look Real Enough Glanfa Stage (Blysh) 2pm The Readers Outside Wales Millennium Centre 3.30pm Kitsch Kats Glanfa Stage (Blysh) 4pm Rayguns Look Real Enough Glanfa Stage (Blysh) 5pm The Readers Outside Wales Millennium Centre 5pm Chicago Donald Gordon Theatre 7.30pm Milongas Norwegian Church 7.30pm Debbie Chapman Dancers St David’s Hall 7.30pm Kitsch Kats Glanfa Stage (Blysh) 8pm Portraits of Women Who Dance Chapter Arts Centre 8pm Revolution Cubana Weston Studio (Blysh) 8.30pm Chicago Donald Gordon Theatre Swansea: Oxford Street and Princess Way in Swansea’s city centre will showcase dance of all styles on Big Street Dance Day on Saturday 14th July, with demonstrations and workshops between 10am and 4pm. Local dance schools will be entertaining shoppers and encouraging them to try their hand at everything from ballroom and Latin to belly dancing and Zumba. The full programme in Swansea runs as follows: 10am Zumba with Lesley Anne 10.30am Belly dancing with Habibi 11am Salsa with Salsa Today 12 noon Strictly ballroom dancing with Let’s Dance Wales 12.30pm Dance fitness with Aerial Dance and Fitness 1pm Modern stage with Wiseman Stage School 1.30pm Hip hop with Dani Dee School of Dance 2pm Ceroc/modern jive with Ceroc South Wales 2.30pm Lindy hop from Revue Dance Studios 3pm Jazz with Joan Williams Stage School 3.30pm Latin American with Let’s Dance Wales Barry, Vale of Glamorgan: A silent disco and a flash mob are among activities taking part on King Square as Barry hosts the Vale of Glamorgan’s Big Street Dance Day on Saturday 14th July. Students from Motion Control Dance Programme will be showcasing their classwork, with performances from other local dance groups too. Free dance taster sessions will take place between 10am and 3pm, in contemporary, locking, popping, breakin, house, hip hop, belly dancing and line dancing. Carmarthen The beautiful National Botanic Garden of Wales will celebrate Big Street Dance Day with its International Day of Dance this Saturday 14th July. From 10.30am until 4pm, Welsh folk dancing groups from across Wales will be performing a selection of traditional Welsh dances. See www.dawnsio.com OTHER DANCE EVENTS HAPPENING IN WALES ON BIG STREET DANCE DAY Big Dance Cymru is also proud to be supporting all dance performance across Wales, creating awareness of the great variety of professional and amateur dance that is happening regularly wherever in the country you live. Here are some highlights of dance events that are also happening on Big Street Dance Day. Cardigan Corelw, 7.30pm, Small World Theatre, Small World Centre, Cardigan, £5 (01239 615 952) Traditional music and social dancing from 11 West Wales musicians, with instruments including the harp, flute, fiddle, pibgorn, bagpipes and hurdy-gurdy. See corelw.tumblr.com Newport, Gwent Urban Edge, part of The Big Splash From 12pm, Newport Centre, free (newport.gov.uk/bigsplash) Workshops and performances in breakdancing, plus a breakdancing dance competition and music from a host of DJs and MCs. Big Splash, Riverfront Free House, Newport (01633 656757) As part of the Big Splash, free performances from professional companies, an open mic event sessions and dance taster sessions 1pm-2.15pm Little 'ns Dance taster session (Dance Studio) 2.30pm Older Adults Dance Taster (Dance Studio) 3.30pm NUxclusive performance (Foyer) Newtown Powys Dance presents Dawns fawr 6pm, Theatr Hafren, £5 (01686 614555) Young dancers from community dance groups in Newtown, Welshpool, and Llanfair Caereinion present a lively selection of choreographies, with highlights including the Wobbly Wigglers dance group being whisked away on Aladdin’s magical carpet; YFC MEN presenting a dance they created in a day, and Cwmni Dawns Powys Dance Company, whose performance is accompanied by live piano and harp played by students from Llanfair Caereinion High School. Porthcawl Twmpath/Celidh 6.30pm The General Picton Inn, Porthcawl The seaside town will celebrate Bastille Day with a Twmpath/Celidh with dancers from Dawnswyr Gwerin Penyfa,i in conjunction with its twin town, San Sebastian sur Loire. See http://dawnswyrpenyfai.co.uk Rhyl A Dancer’s Tale by North Wales School of Dance 2pm & 7pm, Rhyl Pavilion, £10 (concessions, £8) (01745 33 00 00) A selection of dance performances from the local dance school. Jên Angharad, director of Dance Cymru and curator of the Big Dance Cymru programme of events in Wales, said she was looking forward to seeing the towns and cities of Wales come alive with dance on Saturday. She said: “I am very excited about Big Street Dance Day in Wales. It’s a great opportunity to shine a spotlight on dance in the run up to the Olympics and beyond. With so many free activities, people who have never tried a dance workshop or taken part in a dance event can have a go and – who knows? – maybe want to take up dance regularly. ” Louise Miles-Crust, Wales Millennium Centre’s Artistic Programme Manager and co-project manager of Big Dance Cymru, said: “Wales Millennium Centre is proud to be co-creating this celebration of dance. We can’t wait to see the streets of Wales come alive with such a variety of outdoor performances on Big Street Dance Day. It’s great to see the people of Wales expressing themselves through dance and adding to our country’s rich cultural heritage.” For a complete list of Big Dance Wales 2012 events, please visit www.bigdance2012.com |
| Big Dance Wales 2012 web site: www.bigdance2012.com |
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Thursday, July 12, 2012 |
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