Edinburgh College stars set to shine at DanceFest

Catch college performers before they Take Flight

Edinburgh College’s performing arts students are ready to mesmerise the crowd tomorrow at a one-night dance festival at the city’s Festival Theatre.

The event is an opportunity to see the students perform before they launch their own annual dance tour, Taking Flight, where they will perform and run workshops at schools and colleges.

DanceFest 2016 takes place tomorrow at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh, showcasing the work of young dancers from across Scotland. The evening will feature acts from 17 youth dance groups.

At DanceFest, the Edinburgh College BA (Hons) Dance students will perform a piece choreographed by Elite Studio Centre’s Zelie Jennings, inspired by the work of American dancer and choreographer Bob Fosse.

Following DanceFest, the students will hit the road for Taking Flight, visiting schools and colleges in Glasgow, Lenzie, Clackmannanshire and Edinburgh. They organise the tour themselves as part of their degree to learn about different aspects of the industry, including being part of a touring group. They will perform work choreographed by themselves and lecturers, and teach workshops.

Jo Turbitt, dance tutor at the college’s Performing Arts Studio Scotland (PASS), said: “DanceFest is a celebration of youth dance across Scotland, so there will be young dancers in the audience who we hope will be inspired to follow in the footsteps of our students, and audition to train with us for a professional dance career.”

Cerin Richardson, head of Creativity and Diversity at Edinburgh Festival Theatre, said: “This is a tremendous opportunity for young people to perform in Scotland’s premier dance venue and for us to provide a platform for their extraordinary dance talent.”

To buy tickets for DanceFest, go to: http://www.edtheatres.com/dancefest

Edinburgh College is hosting auditions this month for performing arts courses starting in August, including dance, acting and music. For dates and times, go to: http://www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/Events/1/Auditions

Any schools or colleges who would like to book Edinburgh College’s students to visit as part of Taking Flight, should contact Jo Turbitt at jo.turbitt@edinburghcollege.ac.uk