Belfast is to host Ireland's first Festival of International Dance during a week-long celebration of the fastest-growing art form in Northern Ireland, starting on Monday, March 18th.
The event, EarthQuake, has been organised by Dance Northern Ireland, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland-funded organisation for all forms of dance.
At yesterday's launch in the Waterfront Hall a comprehensive programme of international star visits, workshops, classes, exhibitions, a mini film festival, the appointment of artists- and photographers-in-residence and three gala nights of performances by the visiting companies and individuals and local talent on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 22nd, 23rd and 24th, was unveiled.
Top names from the world of dance - including Scottish Ballet, the George Piper Dances (the BalletBoyz who featured in the popular C4 documentary series), Transitions Dance Company, the African Cultural Exchange, the Birmingham Dance Xchange and West End-Broadway choreographer Colin Sangster - will not only be on the Waterfront Hall stage but out and about Belfast schools, community and art centres, and in Armagh and Downpatrick, for the workshops and classes.
On the Sunday evening the growing number of local dancers will stage pieces based on the festival's EarthQuake theme.
Dance forms from India, China, Africa, Brazil and Ireland will be featured, as Dance Northern Ireland Director, Ms Victoria Maguire, explained. "There has been nothing quite like EarthQuake ever held in Ireland before. It is a truly all-embracing festival and we are delighted to have attracted the enthusiastic support of so many outstanding companies and individuals.
"In recent years, we have established dance as one of Northern Ireland's most exciting and high profile art forms, after too many years in the shadows of our other art forms, and EarthQuake, which we plan to make an annual, and ever-expanding, event, is our way of showing Belfast just how exciting and non-elitist dance can be."
From an organisation with only a handful of members, Dance Northern Ireland (originally the Dance Collective of Northern Ireland) has increased its membership threefold, commissioned a new logo, moved to new city-centre offices, launched its own website and a monthly magazine and attracted the support of Royal Ballet Company and West End star, Wayne Sleep, as patron.