Big dance weekend

THE BIG DANCE WEEKEND 2014 -----

SATURDAY 12 SUNDAY 13 JULY 2014

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EXCEPTIONAL DANCE PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS IN UNEXPECTED PLACES ACROSS ENGLAND

www.bigdance.org.uk

THE BIG DANCE WEEKEND 2014 ----The Big Dance Weekend 2014 is a celebration of people dancing: an outstanding programme of dance performances and participation events that will animate and positively disrupt public spaces across England.

Each of these exceptional large-scale events has been created to provide opportunities for people to enjoy great dance, wherever they live. There are performances to watch and workshops to join in with, opportunities to see spectacular dancers up close and witness unusual and iconic locations transformed by dance.

The Big Dance Weekend 2014 is produced and presented by the Foundation for Community Dance, the Greater London Authority and the Big Dance Hubs – working with world-class artists, inspiring communities and people. Together, we’re helping to create and develop opportunities for people to experience and take part in all kinds of dance and dancing.

Find out what’s happening near you, get involved and be inspired

by Big Dance!

www.bigdance.org.uk

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The Foundation for Community Dance creates and develops opportunities for people to experience dance in all its diversity. Find out more at www.communitydance.org.uk/bigdance Find out more about the network of Big Dance Hubs at www.bigdance.org.uk/hubs Image Credits 1. Over Under Through: Photo: Rachel Cherry 2. ENBYouthCo. Photo: Belinda Lawley 3. Big Dance Celebration. Photo: Yorkshire Dance 4. Big Dance at the Bandstand, Hexham. Photo: Richard Kenworthy 5. One Giant Leap. Photo: Natalie Lawrence 6. Ready Willing Able Dance Company. Photo: James O Jenkins

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BIG DANCE NEAR YOU ----Inside you'll find a preview of each of the exceptional dance performances and events in unexpected places across England.

For more details on each of them, including timings, maps, directions, photos and more, visit our website today or download the mobile app in July.

CONNECT WITH BIG DANCE ----www.bigdance.org.uk

@bigdancenews

officialbigdance

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Phone: 0116 253 3453 Email: info@bigdance.org.uk

Foundation for Community Dance Company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales no. 2415458 Registered Charity no. 328392 VAT no. 109 0561 37 Registered office: LCB Depot, 31 Rutland Street, Leicester, LE1 1RE

WHAT'S HAPPENING NEAR YOU ----North East England

New Energy Sat 12 - Sun 13 July Northumberland Street, Newcastle Choreographer Nev Campbell is working with 120 dancers from groups across the North East who will take to the streets of Newcastle alongside professional dance artists in a special new work. Adding to the celebration, even more dance artists and groups from across the North East will be joining to make an unforgettable two days of performance.

Produced by Dance City with Queen's Hall Hexham, Customs House, Arts Centre Washington, Tin Arts Durham and ARC Stockton.

North West England

We are the City Sun 13 July Lothair Road, Anfield Road and Stanley Park, Liverpool

Yorkshire

Bodies on the Beach Sat 12 July Bridlington Beach Set in the striking landscape of the vast beach of Bridlington, Bodies on the Beach promises to be an emotive journey of over 200 dancing and moving bodies, created by Susanne Thomas. At times ritualistic and primeval, at times rhythmic and ethereal, a shape-shifting crowd.

Individual encounters play against dynamic sweeps across the expansive landscapes, groups engulfed in confrontations, groups moving in harmony. A visual feast not to be missed.

Produced by Yorkshire Dance.

East Midlands

Live Bolero Sat 12 July and Sun 13 July Old Market Square, Nottingham Corby Highland Gathering, Corby Celebrating 30 years since Torvil and Dean's Olympic Gold Medal winning performance in Sarajevo with Bolero, Jeanefer Jean-Charles is creating an inspired dance performance, but not on ice! Professional and local performers from the community will turn Nottingham and Corby into a spectacular tribute to Bolero over Big Dance Weekend.

An earlier performance will take place on Sat 5 July at SO Festival, Skegness.

Produced by Dance4 with Nottingham Playhouse, Confetti Media Group, Notts TV, The Core, Corby and artsNK working in association with SO Festival, Skegness.

Choreographer Willi Dorner creates a moving installation and tapestry of Liverpool life, with an original music score

by Tom Rea Smith. A live parade of the people, associations and organisations that contribute to the City and how it works. Working with Willi, local artists Paul Doyle, Ruth Jones, Jennifer Hale, Leila Chebbi and Jo Ashbridge are working with participants from across the area to place them at the heart of the performance.

Produced by MDI.

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West Midlands

Central London

Sightseers

Beats for Peace

Sat 12 - Sun 13 July

Sat 12 - Sun 13 July

Sat 12 July Birmingham Markets, Malvern Carnival, Ledbury Poetry Festival, Telford Town Park

Trafalgar Square, London

Sun 13 July Walsall Arboretum, FUSE Festival, Lichfield, Coventry City Centre "The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes 'sight-seeing'." Daniel J. Boorstin Sightseers come armed with phones, maps, bags, drinks, umbrellas, picnics...Sightseers are seven different performances that make you look at your surroundings and each other with new eyes! David McKenna, has worked with 21 dance artists in each of the West Midlands counties, who have then developed their own performances with groups from their local communities.

Produced by Dancefest with 2Faced Dance Company, DanceXchange, Coventry Performing Arts Service, Black Country Dance Hub led by Dudley Performing Arts, Staffordshire County Council, Shropshire Council and Telford and Wrekin Council.

East of England

Nobody's Baby and Eat. Sleep. Dance.

Fri 11 - Sat 12 July Corn Exchange, Ipswich and Christchurch Park, Ipswich Nobody’s Baby is a dance-theatre work

by Arthur Pita exploring the compelling and disturbing phenomenon of 1930s dance marathons during the American depression; human endurance contests where couples danced almost non-stop for hundreds of hours competing for prize money. Plus Eat. Sleep. Dance. - a specially created piece by Tom Hobden and Kate Flurry performed by DanceEast companies, a new community group and invited guest dancers. Anyone can join free dance workshops on the day.

Produced by DanceEast with Ip-Art (Ipswich Borough Council).

Choreographed by Rafael Bonachela, an extra special top secret 'Big Dance' will connect Trafalgar Square with two other commonwealth countries in celebration of the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme.

To get involved, find out more online.

Produced by Greater London Authority with Get Scotland Dancing as part of the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme.

West London

Kinetic Echo Our Dancing Selves Sat 12 July West London With the rise of the social network, the digital age has shifted the parameters of expression to create an instantly global new generation. But how do young dancers see themselves? Can their voices be heard? Will they reveal the artists they are, the artists they want to be, or will they simply be one of the crowd? Join the conversation with Kinetic Echo - Our Dancing Selves. English National Ballet present an original site-specific commission by award-winning dancer and choreographer Cameron McMillan, created in collaboration with young dancers from ENBYouthCo. Produced by English National Ballet.

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North London

South East London

Arts Party

Through and Out: Skipping Extravaganza

Sat 12 July Spa Fields Park, Northampton Road, Islington Arts Party is a dance and visual arts takeover of Spa Fields Park in Islington by Wayne McGregor | Random Dance and Cubitt Artists. The atmosphere is vibrant street party meets family friendly village fete, featuring opportunities to watch, participate and join in with arts, craft and dance activities. A specially created performance by dancers from Wayne McGregor | Random Dance alongside an intergenerational cast of local people will pop up in the park every hour.

Sat 12 - Sun 13 July Greenwich, London Exploring the crossovers between skipping ropes and dance, Jorge Crecis' Through and Out: Skipping Extravaganza is like nothing you've ever seen or tried.

An incredible professional cast will lead a spectucular performance in a special Greenwich location, with opportunities for you to join the fun and even be in the show.

Produced by Sadler’s Wells, Wayne McGregor | Random Dance, Cubitt Artists, London Borough of Islington.

Produced by Greenwich Dance, supported

by Well London and Charlton Athletic Community Trust.

East London

South London

The River

Routes to the River

Sat 12 - Sun 13 July

Sun 13 July

Part of Mayor’s Newham Show, Central Park, East Ham, London

Trail start: Siobhan Davies Studios, 85 St Georges Road, London

Under the direction of Natasha Gilmore, an ensemble of 100 dancers and singers from East London will perform along the banks of the River Thames in a promenade style performance. The audience will be swept along with large group performances and intimate solos and duos, submerged into personal and historical songs and dances inspired by journeys across through and along the river over the years. The River will be an outdoor celebratory spectacular bringing to life the history, connections and stories that float and drift in and out with the tide. An earlier performance will take place at Greenwich and Docklands International Festival on Sat 28 June.

Produced by East London Dance and Barrowland Ballet, as part of the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme.

For more details on each event, visit www.bigdance.org.uk

Trail end: Southbank Centre Gardens Routes to the River is a playful journey of performances from Siobhan Davies Studios to the Southbank Centre Garden overlooking banks of the River Thames.

Audiences are provided with a specially illustrated map and led along a winding route through parks and discreet gardens. Here they will discover performances that explore water, our relationship to it and the patterns it creates. Routes to the River is performed by groups and students from across South London and is choreographed by Henrietta Hale.

Produced by Siobhan Davies Dance.

South East England

Big Dance in South East England Sat 12 - Sun 13 July Chatham, Woking, Oxford, Canterbury, Brighton, Guildford Reckless Sleepers, Protein Dance, Peut-Etre Theatre, Loop Dance Company, Surrey Dance Collective, Katie Green, Stopgap Dance Company, Tavaziva Dance Experience dance like you’ve never experienced it before as Big Dance in the South East brings extraordinary, unique and unexpected events to a public space near you. From Protein’s energetic pop-up performances of (In)Visible Dancing in Canterbury city centre, to Reckless Sleepers’ raw and splintering A Sting Section in a disused Brighton market space – there’ll be something to get your eyes popping and toes tapping!

Produced by South East Dance with Oxford City Council, Medway Council, Surrey County Council, Dance Woking.

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South West England

Myths and Legends of the South West Sat 12 - Sun 13 July Bath, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Hampshire, Plymouth, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon

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Think pixies, giants and King Arthur – myths and legends from South West England. We have a fabulous range of stories which inspire imagination and storytelling. Rosie Heafford of Second Hand Dance will work with 10 local artists who will create performances in their local areas using these inspirations to bring to life the Mythical Maze theme of the Summer Reading Challenge 2014.

Produced by Pavilion Dance South West with Association of Senior Childrens & Education Librarians SW and Society of Chief Librarians, Bath Dance, Dance in Devon, Dance Republic 2, DanceUp, Plymouth Dance, South Glos Dance, Swindon Dance, Take Art, Theatre Bristol.

MORE THAN JUST A WEEKEND THERE’S SO MUCH GOING ON FOR BIG DANCE 2014 ----THE BIG DANCE WEEKEND IS THE FINALE OF THE BIG DANCE WEEK 5-13 JULY 2014. OTHER OPPORTUNITES INCLUDE: BIG DANCE SHORTS Five new dance films, which celebrate the creative relationship between Brazil and the UK broadcast on Channel 4 between 7-11 July and at special screenings at the Big Dance Pop-Up Cinema events.

LOCAL EVENTS ORGANISED BY YOU Register your own dance event for others to come to watch or take part in.

Any style of dance and all types of event are included. Put your dancing on the map!

BIG DANCE PLEDGE Free resources to learn the choreography or create your own version all stay online for the rest of the year. Use them to make more dance performances with your friends or workmates.

BIG DANCE BUS With its pop-up dance floor, this quirky converted double-decker is touring from 8 June – 13 September with thrilling 'guerilla style' dance experiences for all to enjoy. Get involved in the ‘readymade rave’ somewhere near you.

To find out more, visit www.bigdance.org.uk