Burns Night Community Ceilidh: Get ready to rock at Royston Wardieburn!

We are delighted that the Burns night community ceilidh will happen again tomorrow (Saturday 24th January) from 5 – 9.30pm at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre.

The event is a celebration of diversity and talent in north Edinburgh. It is organised by a wide range of groups – including Pilton Community Health Project (PCHP), Granton Community Gardeners and Royston Wardieburn Community Centre – under the banner of Living in Harmony. Living in Harmony is about bringing local residents together to share their experiences and cultures and get to know each other better.

Pilton Community Health Project’s Rachel Farrier said ‘The joy of this event is what happens afterwards, once people have danced with each other, it’s difficult not to say hello on the street!’

This year’s ceilidh will include a traditional haggis supper served up by Granton Community Gardeners giving us all a chance to sample produce from the gardens. We’ll be reliving the highlights of last year with ‘turns’ from residents from around the world – including wee Sarah reading Burns poetry, some highland dancing from Dakota Hay and Nepalese dancing from Sushma and her friends. The homecoming string band will lead the dancing and we’ll all get the chance to strut our stuff.

Last year’s ceilidh was a massive success – over 200 people attended and over 40 volunteered to make it such a brilliant event. You can see photos from this event on PCHP’s facebook page [photos by Anneleen Lindsay].

Local people really enjoyed the event: ‘nice to see some community spirit’ one said. This year tickets are going fast and it looks to be a great event.

Tickets available NOW from Royston Wardieburn Community Centre and only cost £1.

Get yours before they are gone!

Students focus on stardust spectacular

Edinburgh College photographers throw spotlight on students’ winter showbiz special

A student photography exhibition celebrating Edinburgh College performing arts students’ winter showbiz spectacular is now on display at Leith’s Creative Exchange.

The exhibition showcases the college’s recent show We Are Made of Stardust, developed and performed by Edinburgh College students. Two HND Photography students – Tracey Largue and Sara Thomson – took the photos of the show that feature in the exhibition, showing off the vibrancy, energy and emotion of the performance.

We Are Made of Stardust, which featured HND Year 2 Acting and Performance students, was devised by lecturer Scott Johnston and formed using the cast’s own ideas and stories. The 30 young actors in training shared their personal tales of love, loss and life with the audience in performances at the college’s Perfoming Arts Studio Scotland (PASS).

Marjory Crooks, curriculum manager for broadcast media, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to see examples of the highly professional work produced by two of our photography students. The students on our various creative industries courses are encouraged to collaborate on projects to develop their practical skills and share their learning experiences.”

Scott Johnston said: “This was an incredibly successful show in terms of audience feedback which was universally extraordinarily positive. The cast all learned from each other by sharing ideas and experiences. This helped build the actors as a team, an essential part of working in any field but especially in theatre.”

The We Are Made of Stardust exhibition at Creative Exchange on Constitution Street runs until Friday 30 January, 9am – 5pm each day.

Edinburgh College is currently recruiting for a range of courses in the Creative Industries starting this month including evening classes in Digital Photography: Studio Image Manipulation and Photography: Introduction to Portraiture. For more details on these and other courses, visit www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk.

Edinburgh College stages epic event!

Every Person Counts: learning lessons on inclusion from Cambodia

A fully inclusive dance company from Cambodia featuring performers with various disabilities visited Edinburgh College last month to deliver a workshop and perform to the college’s dance students.

Epic Encounters is a group of talented dance and theatre performers from Cambodia, consisting of hearing-impaired, disabled and non-disabled performers. It is first and only fully inclusive dance company in South East Asia.

The company came to the college’s Performing Arts Studio Scotland(PASS) to perform examples of its work that it uses to raise awareness of issues in Cambodia such as road safety, sexual health and child protection to PASS students and staff.

The performers also led an inclusive movement workshop based on their performances and the company motto of Epic Arts – Every Person Counts.

They performed a thought-provoking piece called Come Back Brighter, about the effect of the Khmer Rouge Regime on the artists of Cambodia and the current explosion of creativity sweeping the country. The performance also included a mini sign language lesson and life story from one of the performers.

The Epic Encounters team tours nationally and internationally, creating and performing educational theatre and dance performances. It mixes traditional Khmer dance and contemporary physical theatre techniques to inspire, raise awareness and educate.

Epic Encounters is a social enterprise from Epic Arts Kampot. Epic Arts is an international NGO that works to raise the aspirations of disabled and non-disabled Cambodians through arts-based education, community and social businesses such as the dance company, which is a valuable source of sustainable income for the charity Epic Encounters visited the college as the final stop on a UK tour of performances, workshops and talks.Ethelinda Lashley, a dance lecturer at PASS, said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to learn from dancers from a very different background and to understand and appreciate the importance of diversity and inclusivity in dance. Our students are encouraged to appreciate dance within a social and cultural context and explore this through their work.”

Susan Inglis, equalities, policy and research manager for the college, said: “The performance by Epic Arts from Cambodia was most impressive and inspirational.

“The dance team should be congratulated for bringing this highly skilled and energetic inclusive dance group to the college. They demonstrated vividly their commitment to a world where every person counts, and where people with disabilities are valued, accepted and respected.”

The Gang’s back at the King’s!

This year’s Gang Show is biggest ever

This year the annual Edinburgh Gang Show will be not only the biggest of its kind in the world but also the biggest production to be staged on the King’s Theatre. With over 330 young people from the Scouting and Girlguiding movements, it will be a busy and exciting show!

Running from 18 – 22 November at the King’s Theatre, the Edinburgh Gang Show includes slick song and dance numbers from Michael Jackson to Disney’s Frozen and many more, as well as topical comedy sketches.

Andy Johnston, the Edinburgh Gang Show Director said: “This is my 12^th year as Director and it features the largest cast ever assembled for an Edinburgh Gang Show. Over 330 young people will get to experience the amazing buzz that you only get when the houselights go down at the start of a Gang Show and that almighty roar resounds around the auditorium.

“It is a very, very special show, one which is forward looking, while at the same time keeping in line with the format that was created 82 years ago by Ralph Reader. The show is a reflection on what has happened throughout year and we strive to make sure there really is something for everyone.”

It will be a special occasion for the youngest female cast, the Brownies, as the section turned 100 years old in 2014! In celebration there will be a special Big Brownie Birthday number with 170 Brownies, in two casts, 70 more than usual! This party number includes songs from Sister Act and Hannah Montana.

This modern, fast paced and funny production is not a show about Scouting and Girlguiding it is a performance by those in Scouting and Girlguiding. It allows these young people the chance to develop their performance skills in a professional environment and continue to do something that they clearly enjoy and love.

Edinburgh Gang Show 2014

King’s Theatre, Edinburgh

Tue 18 to Sat 22 November

Evenings 7.00pm

Saturday matinee 2.15pm (Audio described & BSL interpreted)

0131 529 6000

0131 529 6005 (Group bookings)

www.edtheatres.com/gangshow

Tickets from £10.00

The Gang's back at the King's!

This year’s Gang Show is biggest ever

Edinburgh Gang Show 2014

King’s Theatre, Edinburgh

Tue 18 to Sat 22 November

Evenings 7.00pm

Saturday matinee 2.15pm (Audio described & BSL interpreted)

0131 529 6000

0131 529 6005 (Group bookings)

www.edtheatres.com/gangshow

Tickets from £10.00

Dancing the weekend away

YDance? Ynot!

Three of Edinburgh’s top youth dance groups are leaping to new heights this weekend as they participate in Scotland’s leading event for youth dance development – Connections. The event is delivered by YDance, Scotland’s national youth dance organisation, and is the only event of its kind in the country.

The groups – Broughton High School, Dance Base and Ihayami Fusion – are sending twenty dancers to the event at Edinburgh College to join fifteen other Scottish youth dance companies. With over one hundred and sixty participants, Connections is the only event in Scotland giving talented young dancers the opportunity to work with other dance groups and top choreographers from the UK.

Over the three days the groups get the chance to participate in a variety of workshops involving different taster sessions and dance styles, choreographic workshops and informal ‘sharings’.

Yvonne Young, YDance Assistant Director said: “YDance Routes Connections Weekend is an annual weekend of workshops for our young dancers, inspiring them and the leaders who work with them. There are no other opportunities in Scotland for youth dance groups to come together and spend three days experiencing different dance workshops, see the standard of other groups across the country and broaden their dance experience by introducing them to new choreographers and the ways in which they work. It’s so exciting to be here and see first-hand just how important this event is for the young dancers of Scotland.”

Now in its fourth year, Connections Weekend is taking place at the Performing Arts Studios Scotland (PASS) at Edinburgh College.

PASS Lecturer Jo Turbitt said: “We’re delighted to be hosting this fantastic event again and looking forward to welcoming some of the country’s top young dance talent. The dance studios and performance spaces we have at PASS are first class and up to industry standard, so it’ll be great to give the dancers a chance to use them and learn more about how we train professional performers. An event like this demonstrates that we have so much talent to be proud of across the country. Hopefully we’ll see some of the students back at the college again as students.”

Connections is part of YDance’s national programme – YDance Routes – motivating and inspiring young dancers across Scotland and the leaders who work with them.

Award-winning theatre company seeks young performers

Creative Electric Young Company are creating a new piece of theatre, Flux, and are looking to cast young performers aged 16-22yrs.

Flux noun
1. a flowing or flow.
2. continuous change, passage, or movement:
3. a performance by Creative Electric which is subject to change, is yet unknown!

Creative Electric is a critically acclaimed, award winning company who create contemporary performance based on real experiences. Often their work is interactive, sometimes its personal, at times it’s one to one.

Their work has been performed in both Scotland and Sweden, in theatres, studios, skate parks, nightclubs, on trains, in fields, city centre squares and on rooftops!

They are dedicated to working with young and emerging performers and so run a young company in Edinburgh for artists age 16+. Creative Electric Young Company have showcased their work at the Bongo Lives Festival Edinburgh, The National Festival of Youth Theatre (2010, 2011 & 2012) and the National Theatre of Scotland’s Exchange 2010 as well as performing in their resident space The Bongo Club.

Flux will be devised and performed by Creative Electric Young Company. Workshops will take place on Wednesday evenings 7-9pm at The Bongo Club. Young company members pay a fee of just £5 per week for workshops with bursaries (free places!) always available.

There are two start dates for new performers: Wednesday 10th September & Wednesday 17th September.

For more information or to register your interest please email Heather at Creative_electric@hotmail.com

Cashback: creating opportunities in the arts

Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop joined young filmmakers, musicians and dancers who are developing their career skills thanks to the confiscated funds from criminal activity.

Over the last three years £2.25 million has been invested in CashBack for Creativity, providing over 15,000 opportunities for young people in Scotland to participate in arts activities they would not have otherwise had access to.

Ms Hyslop said: “The real impact of CashBack on young people’s lives can’t be expressed by statistics or in stark monetary terms – CashBack changes lives.

“The CashBack for Communities Programme takes funds recovered from the proceeds of crime and invests them in back into communities, putting young people on a positive path in life by providing opportunities for them to take part in thousands of free activities and projects.”

Programme participants have included Yutsil Martinez, who began in making short films with Pilton-based Screen Education Edinburgh project in 2011. Yutsil has gone on to star in the Screen Education film, Man With No Name, and was nominated for the Chris Anderson Award for Best Young Filmmaker 2013 (sponsored by the National Youth Film Academy). He was awarded an acting scholarship at the National Film Youth Academy in London after winning a Best Actor award at the event.

Yutsil said: “Participating in these projects and shoots has allowed me to find opportunities and meet other filmmakers and professionals in the field. The CashBack for Creativity Programme has been instrumental in helping me build my confidence and really develop my passion for working in the industry, and carve a future career for myself.”

Paul Reynolds earned a placement at Edinburgh’s DanceBase through the CashBack for Creativity Programmewhere and he discovered a passion for dance and performing arts. Attending DanceBase and developing as a dancer taught Paul new skills that he believes will see him through life. He now has a love of being on stage and performing for a big audience describing the feeling and rush he gets from performing as “incredible”.

Paul said: “Only a few years ago I struggled to talk to people I’d never met before and I had little confidence and self-esteem, but with my participation at DanceBase through CashBack, I am now more confident and focused regarding what I want from life.”

Leonie Bell, Director of Arts and Engagement at Creative Scotland, said: “Providing opportunities for young people to get involved in the arts, theatre and cultural activities can help improve confidence and broaden their horizons.

“Over the next three years, the CashBack for Creativity programme will enable approximately 20,000 young would-be filmmakers, dancers, musicians, artists, actors, writers and digital enthusiasts to work in professional settings with experienced practitioners, helping to inspire them to achieve their potential in their future careers.
She added: “I was delighted to meet a number of young participants who have been given the chance to work on interesting and educational CashBack projects and develop their personal, social and career skills.”

CashBack for Creativity is part of the wider Scottish Government CashBack for Communities programme. To date over £74 million has been made available to benefit over 600,000 young people in Scotland since CashBack for Communities began in 2011.

Twitter: @CB4Creativity #CashBack4Creativity

Edinburgh College students set to Glow!

Edinburgh College’s dazzling creative students are about to light up the city with a two-month celebration of their luminous skills!

The Let’s Glow festival will give Edinburgh the chance to enjoy performances and exhibitions from students covering everything from music, theatre and dance to photography, sculpture, illustration and much more.

The programme (see below) shines a beaming light on the inspirational talent of the Edinburgh College students and is a glowing testimony to the outstanding work they have accomplished this year.

Let’s Glow runs from 15 May to 18 July, with events taking place at venues across Edinburgh and some students taking their work down to exhibit in London.

let’s glow programme

Students offer flash mobbing lessons!

Students offer an education in flash mobbing at Edinburgh College

A group of performing arts students from Edinburgh College is teaching clubbers how to flash mob ahead of their silent disco club event tomorrow.

In the run up to the college’s BodyPhonics: Silent Disco – a club event that will take place at Summerhall on Saturday 29 March – the Performing Arts Studio Scotland (PASS) students have created YouTube videos to teach dance enthusiasts how to flash mob and dance like the professionals. The instructional step-by-step videos include everything from how to do the moonwalk and the sprinkler to the classic running man and the freestyle robot.

With a variety of dance, sound production and theatre costume students organising the event, BodyPhonics: Silent Disco showcases a broad array of talent from the performing arts arm of Edinburgh College. The students have worked together to create a night of funk-laden, diva-warbling, glitterball disco music with exciting costumes, dances and the occasional flash mob going on throughout the event.

Jo Turbitt, performing arts lecturer at Edinburgh College, said: “It has been an epic project for the students and it’s been great to watch the event take shape. Students from dance and theatre costume have worked in close collaboration to inject life and energy into the event to produce something that is really outstanding. It’ll be a spectacular event where the audience can choose the DJ they want to listen to, choose if they want to join in and boogie or simply stand back and watch. I’m really excited to see it unfurl on Saturday.”

BodyPhonics: Silent Disco will feature songs from the past decade and from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s together with bursts of dance performances and surprises. To book tickets and to learn the routines click here.