dance Archives - Blackpool Social Club

27 Aug

Blackpool Artists Assemble to Celebrate Sustainable Seaside Style

Claire Griffiths0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & Performanceblackpool music, dance, House of wingz, sustainable fashion

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""] “This was something brand new for Blackpool, exciting, immersive, and deeply creative,” said Aysh De Belle of House of Wingz. “It’s proof that our town has the talent and vision to put itself on the style map.” On Saturday 16 August, Blackpool’s House of Wingz opened its doors to the local community, inviting them to join in a celebration of inclusive, multicultural, and sustainable arts in the form of dance, sustainable fashion, spoken word and poetry, photography, live performance, and community activism. The concept of Blackpool Style Assembly steers away from the promotion of fast, disposable fashion and…

03 Jul

Blackpool Young People make waves at the National Youth Dance Company

Catherine Mugonyi0 CommentsGuide, Local News, Theatre, Dance & Performancecreative young people, dance, performance, Street Dance, young people

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""] Three young dancers from Blackpool are about to tour the country with the prestigious National Youth Dance Company (NYDC) run by Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London. Orson Crane, Dylan Dennis and Blake Rainey were selected to join the current NYDC intake after attending nationwide workshops that took place last year. 33 dancers hailing from 22 towns, cities and villages across England and aged between 16 and 24 years were chosen to join the training company. These young dancers have been working with Boy Blue on a new work, which kicked off the national tour with a premiere at…

24 Jun

Exhibition Review: Capital of Dance

David Simper0 CommentsVisual Arts & Exhibitionsart exhibition, blackpool arts scene, dance, Exhibition, hivearts

The HIVEArts collective has curated a new dance themed exhibition. Declaring his interest in having a piece in this show, David Simper bused it down to the Church Street gallery to catch some exciting art and enjoy a coffee with friends. In the absence of an opening event for this fine exhibition, I combined a view with a social visit to the weekly HIVE Jive gathering in the Church Street gallery. A good cup of coffee was had; cake was resisted. The exhibition features the HIVEArts collective's typically eclectic mix of painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media and this time, costume,…

13 Jun

Dance Review: Breakin’ Convention

Blackpool Social Club0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & PerformanceBreakdance, dance

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] "When I say 'twenty', you say 'years'!" "Twenty!" "Years!" "Twenty!" "Years!" It's not exactly what you'd expect to hear echoing through Blackpool's victorian Grand Theatre, but last Saturday was anything but predictable.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Let's take a trip back to 20 years ago when hip hop theatre pioneer Jonzi D set out to create a festival that would celebrate the origins and evolution of hip hop culture. Last weekend Breakin’ Convention did just that.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The night was hosted by Jonzi D himself alongside local Breakin' Convention reps Sam and Aishley - artistic directors of Blackpool's own House of Wingz. Sam and Aishley are well…

27 Feb

Theatre review: Barely Visible

David Simper0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & PerformanceBlackpool, blackpool arts scene, dance, Fylde Coast, LGBT, the old electric

I wolf down a chip supper after work and catch my usual service 3 bus for my first visit to The Old Electric venue and a radical, one-woman dance show. On entering, I had no idea what to expect. Entering the stageless auditorium, I find myself on the front row of this intimate space – as a shy person, not necessarily good for me, but hey, I try and go with it. The only scenery was a metal disk with a protruding pole. Right on cue, choreographer and performer, Rowena Gander, appears and the show is on. It consists of…

09 Jun

Photo Gallery: A whole lotta (Northern) Soul

Jill Reidy0 CommentsTheatre, Dance & PerformanceBlackpool Prom, comedy carpet, dance, dancers, dancing, northern soul

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] On Saturday 28 May, movers and groovers headed to Blackpool for a sunny day of Northern Soul and Motown played on vinyl on The Comedy Carpet in front of the iconic Blackpool Tower. Photographer Jill Reidy headed down with her trusty camera... [/vc_column_text][vc_media_grid element_width="3" grid_id="vc_gid:1654768279717-5870f1ed-b4bb-7" include="35046,35051,35028,35043"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="35045" img_size="medium" alignment="center"][vc_single_image image="35034" img_size="medium" alignment="center"][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="35030" img_size="medium" alignment="center"][vc_single_image image="35040" img_size="medium" alignment="center"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid element_width="3" item="mediaGrid_SimpleOverlay" grid_id="vc_gid:1654768279725-c2701a07-94ee-1" include="35042,35049,35033,35039"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="35029" img_size="medium" alignment="center"][vc_single_image image="35048" img_size="medium" alignment="center"][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="35032" img_size="medium" alignment="center"][vc_single_image image="35037" img_size="medium" alignment="center"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid element_width="3" item="mediaGrid_SimpleOverlay" grid_id="vc_gid:1654768279735-a6fa33f3-9753-7" include="35035,35036,35038,35052"][vc_column_text]This event is a continuation of Northern Soul Dancing on the Comedy Carpet founded in 2015 by Philip…

23 Feb

Crowning glory: Jubilee hopes for Blackpool kids

Antonia Charlesworth0 CommentsLocal NewsBlackpool, dance, Skool of Street

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Impressed by their professionalism, organisers of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations have invited a group of young people in Blackpool to take part. But they need the community’s help to get there. Angelo Diamante was nine years old when he moved to Blackpool from the Philippines in 2014. In a strange and unfamiliar town he found community at Skool of Street – a charitable organisation delivering a free programme of music, dance, visual and performing arts to children and young people. Now he’s one of a group of young people who have been hand selected to represent the skool and…

22 Jun

Sensational Smash-hit SIX at Blackpool Opera House

Aishley Docherty0 CommentsLocal Newsdance, live theatre, Music, musical, musicals, SIX, Theatre, Winter Gardens

The international smash hit musical SIX is headed to the Opera House In Blackpool from Wednesday 7th July 2021 as part of a major UK tour. The explosive multi-award-winning show has celebrated huge successes after the release of its soundtrack in 2018 which stormed the charts across the globe. Then followed a UK tour and a period in The west end before Covid-19 forced its closure. The triumph of this incredible sell-out Tudor take-off can probably be attributed to the powerful messaging that underpins its vibrant soundtrack and ball busting girl band format . The show is certainly boundary-pushing, genre-redefining,…

19 Feb

Come on Blackpool, let’s keep dancing – part 2

Mykey J Young0 CommentsHeritage, Local Newsballroom dancing, dance, dancing, Music, Winter Gardens

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Following on from part 1, Mykey J Young takes a closer look at Blackpool's historic links to dance. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Big Business in Ballroom Novelty dances were big business in Ballroom and Dance Halls around the turn of the 19th-20th century. As the First World War began to loom, the demand for escapism and entertainment grew and Blackpool, most certainly delivered. To attract the crowds, ballroom band leaders had their work cut out for them. It wasn’t enough to simply repeat the same music over and again throughout the weeks, and especially not during a period of time where the…

29 Jan

Come on Blackpool, let’s keep dancing!

Mykey J Young0 CommentsHeritage, Local Newsdance, dancing, Music, soul dancing

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] At the end of 2020 (that not-so-wonderful year that we were all quite frankly, glad to see the back of), a creative, ambitious and downright sparkling project was launched by non-other than Blackpool’s own Dancing on Ice Star Dan Whiston. Showtown, Blackpool’s museum of fun and entertainment, LeftCoast and hip-hop theatre and dance company House of Wingz joined forces with Dan and Get Dancing was born. Recently, Get Dancing has exploded across social media in a bid to crowdsource dance moves from the public to create a brand-new viral dance routine for a 21st Century Blackpool.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]I caught up a little…