MANCHESTER INVITES YOU TO A DANCE FESTIVAL WITH A DIFFERENCE!

Manchester’s much anticipated festival of dance, Urban Moves, is taking place from Friday 15th to Sunday 17th July. For three days the city will play host to some of the most inspiring and unusual dance performances staged in the most unexpected of places - a swimming pool, an underground car park and a scaffold to name but three! The festival celebrates the unique cityscape and architecture of Manchester and features world reputed companies from Britain, Spain and France who will literally be out on the town to entertain and amaze. It's a must see for everyone who thinks ballerinas and mechanical diggers don't mix...

I am delighted to be introducing the first Urban Moves, a festival of dance in the most unexpected of places. Friends of mine visited Manchester for the first time, and their experience changed my perception of my home town. As they walked around the city, they craned their necks skywards, constantly spotting yet another architectural beauty many of which I had missed in my daily routine. Manchester is renowned for its architecture, whether it be the traditional red brick of the Town Hall, or the reflective façade of Urbis. Our visitors, the incredible Sol Pico from Barcelona , Vendaval, Compagnie Ecart and Retouramont from France bring new life to unexpected quarters!! In particular I am looking forward to the performances in the much loved and partially renovated Victoria Baths. I will be amongst those looking on in awe as dancers dangle from the roof timbers.

We all like to be up to date on the gossip, ahead of the game, and Urban Moves offers the opportunity to see a number of firsts, with the world premiere of Dead Manky, a new commission from Manchester based Lowdownndirty, and La Travesia, a performance created specifically for Urban Moves with performers from both the North West and further afield. We celebrate homegrown talent with performances by Axial Dance from Manchester and Dance In-Tension from Liverpool .

With the popularity of television dance competitions, we couldn’t leave out an opportunity for you to dance! Always fancied trying salsa or maybe tango but committing to a whole term of classes is just too big a step? Try out our one-off taster workshops for beginners to give you the basics and then join in the fun at The Bal.

Urban Moves is brought to you by Dance Initiative Greater Manchester. We developed this project to not only entertain you, but to raise the profile of Manchester as a vibrant home for dance and develop more opportunities for dancers and choreographers from the region. The festival has been developed in close collaboration with Manchester International Arts who are the organisers of the Garden of Delights , Streets Ahead and other major open air events and festivals in Manchester . So with our joint expertise, we can guarantee an innovative programme of unique international and British acts.

We hope you will enjoy the energetic atmosphere of Manchester during Urban Moves and support this fresh new festival to become a feature of summers to come.

If you would like more information on dance in Greater Manchester, please contact DiGM on 0161 232 7179 or info@digm.org.uk. Coming soon - www.digm.org DiGM's new website.