Dancers celebrate their talent in city’s festival

The fifth annual Lancashire Youth Dance Festival comes to the city’s Dukes Theatre on Friday and Saturday, with hundreds of the region’s most talented young dancers getting the chance to perform in a professional venue, perhaps for the first time.

With two days of great dance workshops, including one led by Debbie Milner’s all-male company Edge FWD on their unique style of physical theatre, and two evenings of great new dance performances, the two-day festival, presented by Ludus Dance and The Dukes, turns the city into the county’s dance capital for young people.

Dancers aged 11 to 19 from across the North West - including Preston’s own Cardinal Newman Dance Academy, We are YPS and Preston Youth Dance - have been selected to showcase their routines, working with freelance dance artist Helen Gould.

Ludus Dance artistic producer Hannah Robertshaw said: “Watching talented young dancers is so exciting. It’s raw energy and commitment and the unleashed potential of future brilliance. Their work is fresh, experimental and shows great personality.”

For tickets for the festival or more information on shows or times, call the box office on 01524 598500 or buy online at www.dukes-lancaster.org