What is Chance to Dance?
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Chance to Dance 2013 is supported using public funding by Arts Council England. www.artscouncil.org.uk
Chance to Dance is a one day city centre dance festival that was established in 2000. The original idea came from Sheffield’s involvement in the World Health Organisation European Healthy City Movement. When Turku a city in Finland challenged other European cities to organise a city centre dance festival in the streets of their city.
Belly Dancing in Barkers Pool – who would have thought it.
The one day Sheffield Festival was very popular involving around 30 different dance groups on open ‘stages’ across the city centre. Dance groups reflect the wide diversity of cultures and types of dance available in the city. Part of the ethos of the festival is to encourage people to join in and have a go. This means that, since the start of Chance to Dance, up to 50,000 people have taken part in trying out different forms of dance – from Salsa to Bhangra from Ballroom to Modern Jive.
In 2011 there was no festival – it was cancelled due to public sector spending cuts. So, some of the original founders of the festival and many of the dance groups involved formed a new voluntary organisation and managed to raise enough funds to bring back Chance to Dance in 2012 – albeit on a slightly smaller scale than in previous years!
And Chance to Dance is returning, as big as ever, on 13 July 2013!
“SHEFFIELD rocked to the beat of a hundred rhythms as the city put on its 10th annual Chance to Dance festival. More than 60 different acts performed in public spaces across the city, as residents and visitors gaped in awe as Sheffield’s dancers put on a spectacular show.
A different performance started every half hour throughout Saturday, in the Peace Gardens, Barker’s Pool, Tudor Square, Winter Gardens, Leopold Square and Upper Chapel forecourt. A huge variety of styles was on show, from street dance to belly dance and hip hop to foxtrot.
Nu Yng Crew – a group of teenage breakdancers from Studio Dance in Dinnington – was one of the many groups to impress. Instructor Sammy said: “This is a great day to bring people together from different walks of life.
“It is a great showcase for us and shows people what we do and how hard we work. But it also exposes us to other forms of dance that we don’t get to see.”
Chance To Dance is a wonderful festival of dance for the folk of Sheffield and the surrounding area, as well as pulling in the crowds of visitors to the city. It was sadly missed last year.by me and my friends. I’m so excited that it is to return to the city, this year. Let’s hope we are blessed with the good weather of the last few years so we can once more enjoy the brilliant atmosphere and dance the many different forms of dance, throughout the day.
Helen……….. a keen dancer…(especially linedancing! No, I don’t wear a cowboy hat or cowboy boots anymore. Linedancing has changed a lot over the last 15 yrs!)