Kick off with a warm-up before you prance ecstatically and unguided for 60 minutes. Bring your most flamboyant moves, or just finger-dance in a corner - all are welcome.

Keep the event alive by supporting with a fiver in cash or card at the donation station. You won’t be turned away if you're in a financial pickle, but please donate if you can.

Newcomers are welcome! It’s okay to feel nervous, especially if you come alone. Dancing freely around others is a courageous act. Yet we come together to overcome our fears. If it helps, a bunch of bobbling humans is meant to look hilarious and not #InstaCool. You’re welcome to stay for snacks and chatter at the end.

Please bring earplugs if you are sensitive to loud music.

Dress code: wear whatever you like but fancy dress is encouraged.

Ecstatic Prance will run on the following (additional dates released throughout the year)

• Tue 13 Jan, 7:30pm - 9:30pm
• Tue 27 Jan, 7:30pm - 9:30pm
• Tue 10 Feb, 7:30pm - 9:30pm
• Thu 26th Feb, 7:30pm - 9:30pm
• Tue 10th Mar, 7:30pm - 9:30pm
• Tue 24th Mar, 7:30pm - 9:30pm

Come and join for a 3hr afternoon tea party, to some awesome tunes , and maybe visit Bristol and make a day of it.

Snacks, tea and coffee will be provided o help keep you going. Just bring a water bottle with you.

Recommend pre-booking to secure your spot via the Registration form - Zero Gravity westie party.

For any other info please feel free to DM Jim and Audrey via the Jim Edwards West Coast Swing page here.

• Ever wondered how a quantum particle moves, or how a dancer might move to express it?
• Ever pondered what kind of technology we are really likely to get out of quantum physics and what place there might be for you in achieving that?
• Ever tried to imagine what you’d look like if you could see yourself made up of quantum particles?
• Got a burning question about quantum phenomena you would love to ask an expert working in quantum science and technology?
• Or would you rather see an artist put it to you in different terms?

To celebrate the UNESCO International Year of Quantum Science and Technology and mark World Quantum Day, we invite you to join for a day of all things quantum in science, technology, art and dance.

The day includes talks, a panel discussion, workshops, an exhibition including all sorts from interactive quantum art to careers information and quantum inspired dance theatre. With representatives from the University of Bristol’s research community, the quantum industry, and arts and culture this is the place to really discover quantum.

‘One Foot in the Dark’ is an exploration of our known and unknown experiences of identity, culture and change through text and movement.

It comprises a double bill of solo ‘The Skeleton is White’, exploring how the colour of our skin can affect our relationship to each other and to the environment and ‘Six Degrees from Home’, an inter-disciplinary duet by Divija Melally and Saili Katebe, exploring borders and connection through movement and poetry.

Both are honest explorations of two artists from the global majority understanding what it means to navigate through life, questions and unknowns.

Credits: First commissioned by Pegasus Theatre and Dancin’ Oxford Festival 2023.

About Trinity Presents:

This is part of Trinity Presents - our in-house programme of music and performance, bringing world-class artists and emerging talent to inner-city audiences.

The Unknown Soldier reveals the hidden histories of black British servicemen and women who fought for Britain during the First and Second World Wars.

Presented by Alison Ray Dance Company, the show explores the personal stories of the brave men and women of Black British heritage and the part they played in Britain’s successful war effort.

Told through a variety of dance styles including Lindy Hop, African, Caribbean, and contemporary dance, this emotive dance theatre show weaves together visuals and live music to bring the narrative to life, offering a compelling tribute to Black British War Veterans.

In a world where the past often threatens to fade into obscurity, The Unknown Soldier stands as a beacon of remembrance, as told through dance, ensuring that the legacy of Black British War Veterans lives on for generations to come.

Schedule

Doors - 5:30pm

Show - 6:00pm

Break - 7pm

Q&A - 7:15pm

This is part of Trinity Presents - our in-house programme of music and performance, bringing world-class artists and emerging talent to inner-city audiences.

Bristol Harbour Festival 2024 - Image Credit: Amy Fern

We were delighted to be welcomed back to programme the vibrant dance stage at this year's Bristol Harbour Festival - one of the biggest events in the city welcoming over 250,000 visitors across the weekend.

'This cocreated dance piece has been a wonderful creative project that brought dancers together from different backgrounds from across Bristol to create a unique, emotive piece' - Penny Marie, Dance Workshop Facilitator

Taking over the stage in Queens Square, we platformed a huge range of dance styles and traditions present in Bristol’s dance community; from Indian to Irish Dance, Voguing to Turkish Belly Dancing.

Some highlights from the weekend included Anna K, Bristol Ballroom Community, D-Wild Fitness and RSVP Drummers. We also platformed established resident dance groups based at The Trinity Centre, such as Gerry’s Attic, a dance group for older people who rehearse at Trinity every week.

In the lead-up to Bristol Harbour Festival, we commissioned Dance Facilitator, Penny Marie, to lead a series of participatory dance workshops in which attendees co-created a new dance piece to be performed at the festival. Across five workshops dancers of all abilities and backgrounds collectively devised a 15 minute dance piece entitled 'Our Light Within' that they performed on the Saturday of the festival.

Alongside this, HYPE Dance, who offer weekly street dance sessions at Trinity, hosted the Ultimate Dance Championships 2024 – a competition open to all dance styles for ages 12 and above. Winners of this competition showcased their dancing skills in front of the Harbour Festival audience and a panel of judges that included professional dancers Bethany Kyle, Tesleem Adeyemi and Candice Scott. Alongside this, HYPE brought performances from Lil Hype, Hype Dance and Hype Carnival Squad.

We wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who made the takeover at Bristol Harbour Festival 2024 such a success; from the facilitators, the talented dancers, the technical team behind-the-scenes, our partners Movema, Gerry’s Attic and HYPE Dance, and of course to everyone who came along to watch the performances and support dance in Bristol.

Programming the Dance Stage is one of the many ways we are creating pathways for communities to connect and celebrate together though culture. Click here to find out more.

Are you ready to experience a weekend like no other? Immerse yourself in the vibrancy and depth of West African and African Diaspora cultures over a jam-packed weekend of:

• 25+ artists from Senegal / Guinea / Burkina Faso / Nigeria / Brazil and More
• Dance, Percussion & Singing Workshops
• Live Music Concerts
• Saturday “Come Together As One” Performance Evening & Party
• Sunday  "Teranga" Closing Event Celebration with all our artists
• African Food & Stalls
• Visual Art Installation

Ceilidhs are organised, very fun and energetic dances, to Gaelic folk music. You don't need to come with a partner or any previous ceilidh experience, as there will be a "caller" on hand to tell you all the steps.

Fancy dress as your favourite native wildlife is non-compulsory but very much encouraged! There will be a prize for the best dressed. However, bear in mind that riotous ceilidh dancing means that you will want to keep layers and extra potentially-eye-gouging-appendages to a minimum, and trainers/ comfortable shoes are highly recommended.

Come join in an evening of frivolity, good cheer and dancing, with Shanvaghera - a Bristol-based Irish folk band, playing pure-drop foot-tapping traditional Irish music on fiddle, flute, tenor banjo and guitar.

The last event raised just over £1000 for Somerset Wildlands Trust. All proceeds will be donated to Trees For Life, a charity working to restore the Caledonian Pine Forests in Scotland to their formerly wild and abundant glory. Part of their work also focuses on  giving people the opportunity to reconnect to nature and themselves by partaking in rewilding weeks across the Scottish Highlands.

FRUITEA is an OTA style Kiki function where members of the ballroom community walk and compete in various categories in front of a panel of judges.

Expect voguing, posing, fashion, sexuality and more in a night of queer expression!

FRUITEA is a QTBIPOC* priority space.

Classes will run from 5:15pm - 6:45pm on:

• Wednesday 12 June
• Wednesday 19 June
• Wednesday 26 June
• Wednesday 03 July
• Wednesday 10 July
• Wednesday 17 July
• Wednesday 24 July
• Wednesday 31 July

Please pay on the door at the beginning of the session. Julia will accept payments via cash or card.

About Julia
Julia has worked extensively in dance over the past 30 years She trained at the Laban Centre and received an MA in Creative Producing from UWE. Julia is the Artistic Director of Julia Thorneycroft Dance. Under the umbrella of JTD, she has devised and produced many funded projects including Full Bloom, a festival of dance for and by older people. This project developed from working with older Bristol residents to set up Gerry’s Attic Dance, a performance company for over-55’s in partnership with Trinity Arts Julia is currently working with Untold Dance Theatre. Having toured with the company as a performer for Woman Wise and Ties that Bind, Julia recently co-directed the companies new show On the Inside which toured in 2022.

Harbour Festival 2019 - Image Credit: Alastair Brookes

Trinity is commited to creating spaces to celebrate and engage with different types of artforms. This is why we have teamed up with Harbour Festival to bring back the dance stage at this year's festival, programming a stage in Queen Square 20 July.

On Saturday, Trinity will be curating the stage, followed by Movema – an award-winning dance company – taking the reins on Sunday. This year's dance programme is more inclusive and representative than ever before, celebrating Bristol's diverse community through an array of talents and styles.

As always, we'll be collaborating with local dance companies, community groups, independent artists, and cultural organisations to showcase the rich tapestry of dance talent Bristol has to offer. We will also advocate for dance across the city, featuring open access and free-to-attend dance workshops leading up to the festival, ensuring dance is accessible to all.

We are thrilled to announce that Penny Marie will be our dance facilitator for Harbour Festival, working with the community to co-create a dance piece for Bristol through community workshops. Additionally, Trinity residents Hype Dance, an urban dance group for young people, will unveil their Ultimate Dance Championships 2024 – a competition open to all dance styles for ages 12 and above, giving contestants the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience at the Harbour Festival and win exciting prizes!

Our programme boasts an incredible lineup of dance groups, featuring long-time collaborators with Trinity: Gerry's Attic, a regular dance class for over 55s; Anna K, a Turkish belly dancer who led performances and workshops at our Garden Party on 12 May; Bristol Ballroom, a queer-led collective known for their vogue balls at Trinity and previous Harbour Fest performances; and Kennedy Muntanga, a professional dancer presenting his new work ‘Hare and Lion’. We are eager to unite these established partnerships, promote fresh work, and provide a platform for these talented dancers at one of Bristol’s biggest events of the year.