THE annual celebration of world dance and music is almost ready to take to the stage.
And with the Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance taking on the theme of 'Portrait of a Distant Land...Across the Seas' the week-long event brings the best performers from around the world.
Among the highlights will be performances from the Balbir Singh Dance Company's aqua-dance spectacular “Synchronised” – commissioned for the London 2012 Olympic Games. It pays homage to Busby Berkeley’s legendary Hollywood ‘water musicals’ and will be staged at the Forum Swimming Pool featuring ten swimmers, ten dancers and live orchestral music.
The festival will also showcase the talents of BBC Young Dancer 2015 Winner, Connor Scott, who trains at Dance City’s Centre For Advanced Training, and Vidya Patel, winner in the South Asian Dance Category.
Artistic director Olga Maloney said: “We have scoured the world, visiting dance companies in their local communities to bring our audience the very best in International dance. We are proud of the healthy mix of traditional and contemporary programming that fits alongside the education and development work.
“The Folklore Festival stands by its traditions of not only bringing some of the top performers to Tees Valley but also setting the benchmarks for other Festivals and practitioners to follow.”
The festival will be reinforcing its ties with education by delivering a number of projects including “Cave of Hands” with Respect Theatre; dance masterclasses with the Macmillan Academy from Middlesbrough; Billingham Community Primary School; and the Festival’s continued association with Tees Valley Dance.
Mrs Maloney, who is also secretary general of CIOFF International, added: “The education element has always been very important to the Festival. We see the young people coming up through the ranks of school, colleges and youth centres, as being the future of traditional and contemporary dance, not only in Tees Valley but also in countries further afield.”
For details of when and where you can see performances between August 13 and 20 visit www.billinghamfestival.co.uk/billinghamfestival/billfest/media/2016leafletlowres.pdf
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here