Witney News - Prepare to get dancing in Witney!

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Prepare to get dancing in Witney!

Witney will come alive with dancing of all varieties as a special day gets under way to encourage young people in West Oxfordshire to try out their skills and experience the fun and excitement of dance.

Dancin’ Witney is the first event of its kind in the district and takes place on Saturday 26th June at the Methodist Church, High Street, Witney, 10am-4pm.

As well as performances by local dance groups, there will be taster sessions ranging from contemporary and street dance to jive and salsa for people of all abilities, stalls and information about getting involved in dance and integrated dance for people with disabilities. A debate is also being held to give people the chance to have a say on how they would like to see youth dance opportunities developed in Witney and beyond.

One of the highlights will be an any-style ‘dance battle’ open to all abilities and hosted by professional and videographer Curtis James, who has worked with leading members of hip-hop theatre and danced with top contemporary, street and martial art dance company Union Dance.

Dancin’ Witney is an initiative of West Oxfordshire District Council and comes at a time when more people than ever are choosing to dance. The Council is working with the newly formed West Oxfordshire Youth Dance Development Group (WOYDDG) to develop the programme.

The event is a showcase for many local groups including Your Dance, a pilot project recently set up by WOYDDG in Carterton aimed at getting 10 to 14-year-olds involved in dance. Led by two professional dance artists and teachers, the Your Dance project has recently been extended due to popular demand and weekly sessions are running until the end of June.

The project has been open to all 10-14-year-olds and sessions are subsidised so that that cost is as low as possible at just £6 for seven classes. Members will be making their debut performance at Dancin’ Witney and getting their first taste of what it is like to perform in front of a public audience.

Cllr Hilary Biles, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Young People and Health at West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “We know the importance of giving children and young people more opportunity to try new activities which can help them to build confidence and develop skills to benefit them as they grow and later in life. We are committed to supporting and encouraging more opportunities for young people and we hope the event in Witney is as successful as the Your Dance project has been.”

Angela Conlan, co-ordinator of Dancin’ Witney, said: “There is room for more dance opportunities in West Oxfordshire, particularly for young people, so we’re starting to address this. I would really like to encourage people to come along to Witney on June 26th. We’re really keen on developing more opportunities so it’s a great chance for everyone to tell us what they would like to see happening, as well as joining in and having some real fun.”

For more information about Dancin’ Witney, Your Dance, or if you have any suggestions about youth dance development in Witney and beyond, call the Council’s Arts and Leisure Development team on 01993 861080 or email [email protected]

Posted : 29/05/2010 07:43:46

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