250 organisations offer thousands of ways to take part
To find out how, visit: www.getscotlanddancing.org
MORE than 250 organisations are coming together to provide thousands of opportunities for people to take part in and enjoy a huge range of dance activities throughout Scotland and across the world in 2014, organisers of the Get Scotland Dancing campaign announced today at macrobert, Stirling.
Highlights include:
Large-scale public ceilidhs – 24-hour Commonwealth Ceilidh
Large-scale public ceilidhs will take place in West Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh; The Briggait, Glasgow, and The Music Hall, Aberdeen on Saturday 21 June at 7.30pm as part of a 24-hour Commonwealth Ceilidh that will also span the world.
The dancing for the Commonwealth Ceilidh, which aims to celebrate and energise a much-loved tradition and is led by The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, begins in New Zealand at 7.30pm local time on Saturday 21 June, then traces a line around the globe with dances in different countries, reaching Scotland 13 hours later, and culminates in Hawaii.
Free taster dance classes
Meanwhile, more than 80 venues across Scotland are offering free taster dance classes in a wide range of dance styles for all ages and abilities through the Get Dancin’ initiative. There’s a dance class to suit everyone – from ballet, tap, hip-hop to country dancing classes, with classes for mums and toddlers, the young at heart, and complete beginners – everyone is welcome.
Dance-along movies
There’s also the chance to dance-along to classic movies including Grease and Dirty Dancing at special outdoor screenings in Stirling, Aberdeen, Inverness, Edinburgh, Dundee, Glasgow and Greenock.
Led by dancer, Chris-Stuart Wilson, audiences learn moves from key moments in the film before the screening in a fun warm-up. The film begins and they join in the dancing during the key unforgettable scenes we know and love, breaking into a huge shake down for the finale.
To add to the party atmosphere, audiences are encouraged to dress up as their favourite characters from the movie. And make the day complete by bringing a picnic.
Mass dance opportunity – The Big Dance Pledge
Mass dances at Glasgow’s Emirates Arena, Aberdeen Sports Village and Dundee’s Tay Square are just three of an anticipated 2,000 locations across the world where dance groups and individuals will take part in The Big Dance Pledge.
Participants are in the process of learning a specially choreographed dance created by Scottish Ballet which will then be performed across the world on Friday 16 May.
Experience dance in unusual locations – Dance Trails
Dance in unusual locations will pop up this summer across the country with a series of Dance Trails.
This is dance to interrupt, surprise and inspire. There’ll be dance in parks, town squares, shopping centres, graveyards and online.
Major events include Dance Trails in Stirling on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 April, Inverness on Saturday 7 June, Edinburgh on Sunday 15 June, Dundee on Friday 27 June, Aberdeen on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 July, and Glasgow from Saturday 19 July to Sunday 3 August.
First ever Commonwealth Youth Dance Festival
Around 400 dancers from 36 dance groups from ten countries are set to perform at YDance’s first ever Commonwealth Youth Dance Festival from Thursday 10 to Saturday 12 July at Tramway, Glasgow, with an exciting range of shows for audiences to enjoy and a jam-packed workshop programme (led by international artists and teachers) for the dance stars of the future.
World premiere performance – The Four Seasons
His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen will see the public world premiere on Sunday 20 July of a new dance performance, The Four Seasons, which is being created by internationally renowned choreographers and community dance artists Royston Maldoom and Tamara McLorg with young people from across the North-east including Aberdeen City and Shire as well as Moray with the Aberdeen International Youth Festival.
Scotland’s first international inclusive dance festival – Gathered Together
Scotland’s first international inclusive dance festival Gathered Together 2014 will be hosted by Indepen-dance at Tramway from Wednesday 27 to Saturday 30 August as part of a Europe-wide initiative.
The Get Scotland Dancing campaign, to inspire more people to get active and participate in dance is supported through National Lottery funding, and activity in 2014 announced today is part of the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme.
Get Scotland Dancing is being presented in collaboration with six regional Dance Hubs – Citymoves, Dance Base, Dance House Glasgow, Dundee Dance Partnership, Eden Court, macrobert – and other partner organisations including Aberdeen International Youth Festival, Big Dance, Indepen-dance, The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society and Scottish Ballet.
James Allenby, of Get Scotland Dancing, said: “It’s fantastic that so many people are joining in with Get Scotland Dancing – and this is just the beginning.
“Every day we hear about more people arranging to hold their own Big Dance Pledge, planning their own Commonwealth Ceilidh during what’s going to be an amazing mid-summer night, and the number of venues who are offering free taster dance classes keeps growing.
“There are also an exciting range of performances for audiences to enjoy in established, as well as exciting and unexpected, locations around Scotland.
“Dance is healthy, sociable and great fun and anyone can do it. Join in for what’s lining up to be an amazing year for dance in Scotland.”
Janet Archer, chief executive, Creative Scotland, said: “All across Scotland, whatever your age or experience, there’s an unparalleled range of opportunities to get creative through dance thanks to Get Scotland Dancing.
“Whether it’s trying out ballet for the first time, salsa dancing with a partner, street dancing, taking your baby or toddler to a family class, joining in the fun at a Dance-Along Movie, or being one of the thousands of men and women across the world who’ll take part in the Big Dance Pledge and the Commonwealth Ceilidh, there’s definitely something for everyone.”
Shona Robison, Minister for Sport and Commonwealth Games, said: “In 2014, we want to Get Scotland Dancing and keep Scotland dancing. Encouraging individuals and communities to become more active is a key part of our Legacy from Glasgow 2014.
“Dance is a great way for people of all ages and backgrounds nationwide to do just that in a fun and sociable way.
“I am delighted to be at today’s launch of the full Get Scotland Dancing programme, which is a key strand of the ever-growing Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme.
“Thanks to the packed and varied programme, people might try dance for the very first time or reignite a once-loved hobby.
“Through activities like the Commonwealth Ceilidh and the Commonwealth Youth Dance Festival, global connections will be formed while also boosting Scotland’s reputation as a vibrant, culturally rich and diverse nation.”
Eileen Gallagher, independent director on the Glasgow 2014 board and chair of the Ceremonies, Culture and Queen’s Baton Relay Committee, said: “The Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme is offering people the opportunity to be part of the Games wherever they are.
“From large-scale events to taster sessions for absolute beginners, there is something for everyone to enjoy or get involved in and create a personal legacy from the Commonwealth Games.”
Details of the 2014 Get Scotland Dancing programme were announced during macrobert’s annual celebration of dance in and around Stirling, Let’s Dance, which includes the first Dance Trail. On Friday 4 and Saturday 5 April, Erik Kael’s parkour artists perform Murikamification in Stirling city centre at 1pm and 5pm, beginning at the foot of King Street.
For details visit: www.macrobert.org/murikamification.htm
Get Scotland Dancing full programme details
The Commonwealth Ceilidh
Large scale Ceilidhs in West Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, The Briggait, Glasgow, and The Music Hall, Aberdeen will be among the highlights of a 24 hour Commonwealth Ceilidh that will span the globe on Saturday 21 June.
The first dances take place in New Zealand, two hours later the Ceilidh moves to Australia, then onto Japan and around the world, reaches Scotland 13 hours after the first Ceilidh call, and ends in Hawaii 24 hours after it began. The dancing takes place at 7.30pm local time in every location.
Featuring new fusion dances and existing favourites the Commonwealth Ceilidh, which is led by The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, aims to celebrate and energise this loved Scottish tradition.
Anyone can join in with the Commonwealth Ceilidh, whether they are new to dance or a life-long dancer.
Confirmed locations for other Commonwealth Ceilidh’s include Waipu, New Zealand; Calgary, Canada; Dalkeith, Western Australia; Leven, Fife; Cove, Argyll & Bute; Crooklands, Cumbria; Morecambe, Lancashire.
Each Commonwealth Ceilidh will be unique to its location, with an interval in every event giving the chance for groups to showcase their national or local dance style.
Elizabeth Foster, executive officer, The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, said: “It’s easy to run your own Commonwealth Ceilidh. All you need to know to organise the event is available as a free download from the internet.
“Whether you would like to feel part of a worldwide connection, demonstrate your own agility, speed and endurance in dance, or simply open your arms to welcome all visitors to the City of Glasgow, the Commonwealth Ceilidh has something to offer you.”
To find out more and download a guide to holding your own Commonwealth Ceilidh, visit: commonwealthceildh.org
Free taster dance clases
More than 80 venues across Scotland are offering free taster dance classes for people who haven’t been to a dance class before or fancy picking it up again as part of the Get Dancin’ initiative.
There’s a dance class to suit everyone – from ballet, tap, hip-hop to country dancing classes, with classes for mums and toddlers, the young at heart, and complete beginners – everyone is welcome.
Classes include ballet, bellydance, Salsa, world dances, Zumba at Dance with Babies Bishopbriggs; ballet, hip hop, jazz, modern, tap at The Gail Neish Dance Studios Kirkcaldy; Salsa, Zumba, contemporary, jazz, street at Dynamic Dance Co Central Scotland, Highland, ballet, cheerleading, modern and tap at Lawrence Dance Academy Aberdeenshire, ballet, ceilidh, Highland, Scottish Country Dance at Saut Burgh Highland Dancers Dysart; contemporary and Street at Beacon Arts Centre Inverclyde.
Amanda Clark, Central Scotland Ballet School, commented: “We were amazed by the popularity of the adult ballet tasters. The workshops were absolutely amazing and we all had a blast. The feedback was extremely positive, so much so that we have put three classes into our regular timetable and they are full already!”
To find a class near you, visit: www.getdancin.org.
Dance-Along Movies
Have the time of your life and Dance-along to classic movies at outdoor screenings this summer.
Led by dancer, Chris Stuart-Wilson, audiences learn moves from key moments in the film before the screening in a fun warm-up. The film begins and they join in the dancing during the key unforgettable scenes we know and love, breaking into a huge shake down for the finale.
To add to the party atmosphere, audiences are encouraged to dress up as their favourite characters from the movie. And make the day complete by bringing a picnic.
Screenings include Hairspray, Saturday 7 June, Eden Court, Inverness; Family Movie, Sunday 8 June, Grassmarket, Edinburgh; Dirty Dancing, Saturday 5 July, Union Terrace Gardens, Aberdeen; Dirty Dancing, Thursday 24 July, Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock; Grease, Saturday 26 July, City Square, Dundee – and in Glasgow in early Autumn.
Flash dance photography is allowed.
To find out more visit: www.getscotlanddancing.org/movies
Dance Trails
Dance in unusual locations will pop up this summer across the country with a series of Dance Trails.
This is dance to interrupt, surprise and inspire you. There’ll be dance in parks, town squares, shopping centres, graveyards and online among other locations.
Major events include Dance Trails in Stirling on Friday 4 April and Saturday 5 April, Inverness on Saturday 7 June, Edinburgh on Sunday 15 June, Dundee on Friday 27 June, Aberdeen on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 July, and Glasgow from Saturday 19 July to Sunday 3 August.
In Aberdeen, the public can join a dance hunt and follow clues via a map to discover a range of fun and exciting dance performances around the city centre in secret locations. In Edinburgh, and cyberspace, enjoy a digital dance with Dance Base‘s Virtual Flashmob Haka created as part of the Commonwealth Games celebrations by Taki Maori from New Zealand. This project is in partnership with Edinburgh Active Schools and will be launched on 14 April as part of the 100 Days To Go activity.
In the spirit of surprise, details of Dance Trails will be added to the Get Scotland Dancing website and be available via @GetDancin in the run up to the day of each event.
The Big Dance Pledge
Mass dances to be held on Glasgow’s Emirates Arena; Aberdeen Sports Village and Dundee’s Tay Square will be among the highlights of the Big Dance Pledge when an anticipated 200,000 people at 2,000 locations across the world will perform new dance, created by Scottish Ballet, on Friday 16 May.
The Big Dance Pledge, which is being led by Big Dance, is a chance to learn, make and perform dance with the rest of the world. Free online tutorial and inspirational films show how to learn the dance, or give the starting point for participants to make their own.
Confirmed locations of international Big Dance Pledge performances include dances in Vietnam, Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Greece, Germany, Spain, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Taiwan, India, Italy, Lebanon and Pakistan. In Scotland, dances so far confirmed include ones in Moray, Clackmannanshire, Inverness, Stirling, Isle of Skye, Dunvegan, Dunfries & Galloway, North and South Ayrshire among others.
Catherine Cassidy, associate director Education Scottish Ballet, said: “The Big Dance Pledge is a wonderful way for Scottish Ballet to engage with thousands of people across the world. We wanted to create a lively, exciting dance which used percussion and dynamic movements to get people moving and having fun together.”
John Matthew Ramos, who featured in the online video, said: “I’ve learned many things from this experience including some funky dance moves and working with professional dancers was amazing. I felt a wee bit shy in front of the cameras but the dance teacher told me not to give up and made me believe I could do it. I loved it!”
To join in with the Big Dance Pledge visit: www.bigdance.org.uk/big-dance-pledge
The Commonwealth Youth Dance Festival
More than 400 dancers from 36 dance groups from Australia, Canada, England, India, Malta, Namibia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales will perform in the first ever Commonwealth Youth Dance Festival from Thursday 10 to Saturday 12 July at Tramway, Glasgow, with an exciting range of shows for audiences to enjoy and incredible professional development opportunities for dance stars of the future.
The Festival, which is being led by, YDance the national dance organisation for children and young people in Scotland, will bring together local, national and international youth dance talent in an exciting three-day programme of performances.
Audiences can expect an inspiring and entertaining programme of dance showcasing a range of dance styles as well as enjoy a number of Festival Extras – Jumping Into the Unknown (a showcase event by the choreographers of tomorrow at Tramway), a Festival Dance Film Night (at Tramway) and a Festival Photography Exhibition (at The Briggait).
Charlotte McLean, National Youth Dance Company of Scotland, said: “As a young dancer, being part of Commonwealth Youth Dance Festival is such an exciting opportunity!
“We will get to take part in classes with people from different cultures, learning new ways to move and we will get to watch rehearsals and performances from groups all over the UK and the world – it’s good to see the talent from all over the Commonwealth.
“I feel very privileged to have all these opportunities and with the buzz and excitement that will be around Glasgow, the festival will really light up and excite everyone for the beginning of the games.”
Carolyn Lappin, YDance executive director, said: “YDance (Scottish Youth Dance) is looking forward to an amazing Summer of dance as part of Get Scotland Dancing.
“The first ever Commonwealth Youth Dance Festival will showcase the excellent work of young dancers from across the Commonwealth, with groups coming from Australia, Canada, England, India, Malta, Namibia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
“Thanks are due to Get Scotland Dancing for supporting the Festival and our Youth Dance Creators programme, which will see 20 young people from all over Scotland creating events in their local areas where people can participate in the Big Dance Pledge and the Commonwealth Ceilidh, or just Get Dancing!”
Tickets to performances are on sale from Tramway: www.tramway.org. Entry to the exhibition is free.
The Four Seasons
Marrying the North-East of Scotland’s reputation for ‘four seasons in one day’ with Vivaldi’s most famous score, internationally renowned choreographers and community dance artists, Royston Maldoom and Tamara McLorg, will join young people from across the North-east including Aberdeen City and Shire as well as Moray to create a new dance performance, The Four Seasons, which will have its world premiere on Sunday 20 July, with performances at 5.00pm and 7.00pm at His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen as a prelude to the Aberdeen International Youth Festival (AIYF).
Stewart Aitken, artistic director and CEO of AIYF, said: “We are really excited to be playing a part in this project as part of a national initiative that matches so strongly with AIYF’s objectives.
“The Four Seasons programme provides fantastic opportunities for participation in high quality artistic activities in the North-east and we are delighted that this platform for young talent has been provided through the Get Scotland Dancing campaign.”
The performances are free but tickets must be booked in advance via Aberdeen Box Office. Visit: www.boxofficeaberdeen.com
Gathered Together
Scotland’s first international inclusive dance festival, Gathered Together, will be hosted by Indepen-dance in Tramway, Glasgow, from Wednesday 27 to Saturday 30 August.
The festival’s aims include developing and sharing knowledge and expertise with festival delegates, forging new artistic partnerships in the world of dance and disability.
Gathered Together 2014 is part of a European dance project, INTEGRANCE funded by the European Union, which is bringing together dancers from Scotland, England, France and Belgium to share dance experience and cultural development.
More than 150 delegates are anticipated to attend the event at Tramway.
Festival details will be available on the Indepen-Dance website: www.indepen-dance.org.uk and on www.tramway.org.
Notes to editors:
1. The Get Scotland Dancing initiative aims to encourage more people to get active and participate in dance. The 2014 Commonwealth Games provides an unparalleled opportunity to raise the profile of dance as a creative, participative and physical artform. In support of this, Scottish Government policy, Creative Scotland has committed £1.5 million across a four-year period towards the creation of this inclusive celebration of dance across Scotland.
2. For more information on Get Scotland Dancing and how you can get involved, visit www.getscotlanddancing.org. Follow @GetDancin and www.facebook.com/GetScotlandDancing
3. Citymoves Dance Agency is the regional dance agency for North East Scotland, part of Aberdeen City Council. Citymoves offers a wide variety of community classes in the studio and in various venues across Aberdeen City Centre and works in partnership with schools and community groups to deliver a range of dance projects and activities. Citymoves also run a series of professional classes, residencies, workshops and projects as part of a commitment to supporting dancers and choreographers and developing new dance initiatives. Citymoves is committed to creating performance opportunities and producing and promoting new dance work, including producing the annual DanceLive Festival of new contemporary dance.
4. The Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme is a national celebration. Culture 2014 is showcasing dance, theatre, music, visual arts, comedy and much more in the run up to and after the Commonwealth Games, with Festival 2014 transforming the Host City at Games time. The Cultural Programme is a partnership between the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee, Glasgow Life, and Creative Scotland through National Lottery funding. www.glasgow2014.com/culture
- Creative Scotland is the national organisation that funds and supports the development of Scotland’s arts, screen and creative industries. Creative Scotland has four objectives: to develop and sustain a thriving environment for the arts, screen and creative industries; to support excellence in artistic and creative practice; to improve access to and participation in, arts and creative activity; and to deliver our services efficiently and effectively. In 2013/14, we will distribute over £100m in funding provided by the Scottish Government and the National Lottery. For further information on Creative Scotland please visit www.creativescotland.com. Follow us @creativescots and www.facebook.com/CreativeScotland
Media contact for Get Scotland Dancing
Brian Maycock
Interim Media Relations and PR Officer, Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme
E: brian.maycock@creativescotland.com
T: 0330 333 2000
D: 0131 523 0046
M: 07972 835 212
PRESS RELEASE issued by Creative Scotland. You too can post a press release (aka a media release) on allmediascotland.com. For more information, email here.
Contact: Brian Maycock
Phone: 07972835212
Email: brian.maycock@creativescotland.com
Website: http://www.creativescotland.com
