Banbury prepares to dance in the street

Dance Banbury will celebrate cutting edge dance from leading professional companies to push the boundaries by combining non-traditional dance elements; from augmented reality to parkour whilst blurring the lines between watching and becoming part of the show.

Georgia Geary, artistic director and CEO of The Mill Arts Centre, said: “As a cultural hub for Banbury and the surrounding area we are thrilled to be working alongside such talented

dance companies and artists to bring something truly unique to Banbury town centre.”

Shoppers and visitors to Banbury will be treated to three unique dance performances; On Edge, atop of scaffolding erected in Banbury Market Place to see a group of men ricochet around a building site.

The Imagination Museum, where everything is not as it seems at Banbury Museum, and Whist, where Castle Quay invites you to take a journey into the unconscious mind, through the dreams, fears and desires of a fictional family.

Gill Jaggers from charity Justice In Motion, said: “We are thrilled to be part of Dance Banbury and can’t wait to bring our international cast including parkour athletes to the town for the high-flying

performance On Edge. All I can say is, you better look up and look out Banbury.”

The charitable organisation is working with Castle Quay, Banbury Museum, Cherwell District Council, Dancin’ Oxford Banbury Business Improvement District and others to deliver a

weekend of dance events across Banbury town centre as an Arts Council funded project.

Rebecca Deeley, on behalf of Castle Quay Shopping Centre, said: “Experiential retail is the future and what could be more experiential than merging physical theatre and interactive technologies with an art installation set in a shopping centre?

"We are delighted to be supporting Dance Banbury and working with internationally acclaimed touring company AфE to make this production a reality.”

All Dance Banbury events are free, however, audiences are invited to ‘pay what you think’ as a donation after each experience.

Advance booking is required for The Imagination Museum and Whist, due to limited capacity.

There will also be performances from local community dance groups throughout the weekend.

To make a booking or donation, visit: www.themillartscentre.co.uk/dancebanbury.