The official launch of Dance Happens Here

We’re excited to announce today the official launch of Dance Happens Here, our series of pop-up dance performances which will be taking place throughout the region between September and November 2021.

Pop-up dance events will be appearing in towns, parks, and all kinds of places across Dumfries and Galloway this autumn – and everyone is invited!

For all the details of our upcoming performances and locations, head over to the What’s On page, or follow us on social media: find us on Facebook and Instagram.

We can’t wait to see you D&G!

The performances, all under the banner Dance Happens Here, are the culmination of a residency of four dancers from across Scotland, each of whom have been living and working in Gretna, Dumfries, Kirkcudbright, and Castle Douglas, and making connections with local communities across the region.

Throughout the Autumn months, residents and visitors to Dumfries and Galloway will be treated to over 30 free, outdoor pop-up dance performances at some unexpected places, including fields, bike tracks, public parks, and at school gates. Some work has already been popping up in various locations as part of Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival, in association with The Talking Horse.

Each performance has been created or adapted for outdoor touring in the region by a guest choreographer, following an open call in Spring 2021. Guest choreographers each come from a range of dance backgrounds, from hip hop and breakdancing to aerial performance and contemporary dance. One of the first performances happening as part of Dance Happens Here, Sprawl has been co-choreographed by Tony Mills (incoming Artistic Director of Scotland’s National Centre for Dance, Dance Base) and Jen Paterson (All or Nothing Aerial Dance).

As well as live performances of dance, the Dance Happens Here project is also inviting residents of Dumfries and Galloway to get involved. Young dancers (ages 14-25) will be invited to attend a company class with the professional dancers and choreographers, and members of the public will have the chance to attend an open rehearsal, watching one of the choreographers working with the dancers. With Dance Happens Here, Dumfries and Galloway Dance are keen to open up what happens behind the doors of a dance rehearsal space, to share the creative process and break down the barriers between performer and viewer.

Meanwhile, the Dance Happens Here resident dancers (Jorja Follina, Malcolm Sutherland and Claire Pencak) will spend six months in the region getting to know the residents of Dumfries and Galloway, by volunteering with community groups, working with other local artists, and making personal connections with the region, in a shift from ‘standard’ dance touring, where community engagement is often limited by the dancers having to change location frequently.

Dance Happens Here is our inaugural touring project, and is funded by The Holywood Trust and Creative Scotland’s Touring Fund, delivered in partnership with Dance Base.

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