00:00It's a city-wide celebration of movement, colour and performance as the Leap Dance Festival returns to the region,
00:07transforming theatres, cultural venues and public spaces over a two-week programme running until Saturday 9th of May.
00:14This year's festival features everything from young people taking part in our youth dance days,
00:20community groups who are going to take over Sefton Park, Palm House and professional artists.
00:23Organised by Chaos Arts CIC, the festival brings together some of the UK's most exciting contemporary dance companies,
00:31alongside work from artists and communities across the region,
00:35with support from partners including Culture Liverpool and funding through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
00:40When we took over Leap in 2024, we were really keen about re-centering the city as part of that.
00:46It's the selling point for anyone that's coming from outside of the city,
00:49so we wanted to make sure that local people, local venues, our architectural gems were all a part of it.
00:55It's the best backdrop you can have.
00:57A key strand is Queer Moves, showcasing new commissions that celebrate the work of LGBTQIA plus artists,
01:05whilst hundreds of young people are also expected to take part in performances and dance showcases across the programme.
01:12We've worked really closely with Culture Liverpool over the last three years to commission local artists,
01:16and that's been one of the key things that we've done over the last three years,
01:19is working locally, trying to create an atmosphere where local artists can work locally and can create new work and
01:27test ideas.
01:28There's a strong focus on family-friendly events, including the dancing at the Palm House and dancing in the streets
01:34at Liverpool One,
01:36offering workshops and performances for all ages.
01:39Elsewhere venues such as the Unity Theatre are hosting emerging artists through the Liverpool Dance Prize,
01:44while schools and colleges take part in the school's dance platform at Liverpool Lighthouse.
01:49This year in particular, we've branched out.
01:52We're working with more artists from across the North.
01:54We're working with nationally significant artists and companies.
01:57Cathy Waller Dance are here performing at the Capstone,
01:59Phoenix Dance are performing at Liverpool Playhouse,
02:02and Toussaint To Move, who is an artist that came to some book from Leeds,
02:06is performing here at the Unity Theatre as well.
02:08The festival continues with a range of performances, including immersive work at Shakespeare North Playhouse
02:13and a closing cabaret celebration, reflecting a wider ambition to establish the region as a leading hub for dance.
02:20I hope that people come and engage with the festival and they leave feeling,
02:24lots of people always feel like dance isn't for them,
02:26and I hope that people leave feeling that dance is completely for them.
02:30It's about ordinary people doing amazing things with their bodies to communicate ideas,
02:35and whether that's young people sharing their talents,
02:37whether that's your nan or the dinner lady from school taking part in a weekly dance class
02:41and sharing that journey, or whether that's professional artists who've trained.
02:45This year's programme is described as a celebration of creativity, community and inclusion,
02:50with performances designed to reach audiences across the Liverpool city region,
02:54bringing dance into traditional and everyday public spaces.
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