Free dance festival set to come back with a bang

With three free family shows – one in Battle, one in Hastings and one in Bexhill – the annual festival presents fun and surprising outdoor dance performances for all.

On Saturday, August 26 at 1.30 and 2.30pm, C-12 Dance Theatre’s ‘Secret Encounters’ explores the strange and often hilarious world of internet dating, with pop-up performances on Abbey Green, Battle.

Fresh from the Greenwich and Docklands Festival, this is witty and immersive dance from a renowned UK company.

At 8pm, as the sun sets, the Stade in Hastings will come alight with fire and live Argentinian tango for ‘Polar’ by Compagnie Bilbobasso, who are travelling from France especially to perform in Journeys Dance Festival as part of Stade Saturdays.

This major international show recreates the lively but sinister atmosphere of Buenos Aires cabaret where dancers, gangsters and musicians lurk in the shadows, in a seductive and highly atmospheric performance.

Finally, on Monday, August 28, at 1.30 and 2.30pm, highly-respected Stopgap Dance Company perform ‘The Awakening’ on the Terrace at the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill.

The piece is performed by a team of disabled and non-disabled professional dancers and choreographed by Chris Pavia, a dancer with Downs Syndrome, who was commissioned to develop the performance for national and international touring.

At 2pm the Phoenix Stars, a local dance group, including children with English as a second language and children with special educational needs, will perform a piece with sign, dance and song.

Mandy Curtis, of producers 18 Hours Events, said: “Dance and music are universal languages that break down barriers and create unity.

“Journeys Festival is for everyone, young and old, and it’s all completely free.”