WAINSGATE DANCES PERFORMANCES

“I came because I drive the bus to school and one of the Mum’s told me about it. I didn’t know what to expect and I wasn’t sure at first, but it was very relaxed and welcoming, and by the end, I’d had a great night. I’ve never seen anything like this before and I’ll definitely be back”
Ken Mitchell – audience member and local resident

There will be performances this year with artists including Anya Cloud and Makisig Akin; Seke Chimutengwende and others

Wainsgate Dances has been hosting world class performances since 2018, from rigorous artists, whose work questions what dance is, what it can do, who can do it, and who it’s for.

The response from audiences has been hugely enthusiastic and positive. A performance at Wainsgate always feels like a special event, and people always stay around after the show for drinks and to chat in the best pop-up bar for miles around, with a buzzing atmosphere often supported by a live DJ.

Wainsgate provides a wonderful, welcoming and informal setting in which to experience the work of some great artists whose work is rarely seen outside of urban centres.

When artists are in residence,  there is often an invitation for people to come in and see and talk about the work in progress giving a real sense of how dance is made and what inspires it.

“Attending (and performing in) the Wainsgate Dances weekend, organised by Charlie Morrissey and Rob Hopper, has been the highlight of my year so far!
It was organised and curated with great care and attention to detail. The space is fantastic and the large audiences were very mixed and wildly enthusiastic.”
Matteo Fargion – performing artist

In the past we have hosted performances from artists including:

Wendy Houstoun with Jonathan Burrows, Francesca Fargion and Matteo Fargion; Kirstie Simson Andrea Buckley/ Charlie Morrissey;  Lucy Suggate;  Connor Scott and friends ; Christopher Owen; Anushiye Yarnell; Charlie Brittain; Gemma Higginbotham; Hannah Buckley; Katye Coe; Katie Duck and Sharon Smith Jo Fong & George Orange; Samir Kennedy and others.

 “Wainsgate Dances was one of the stand out  festival events, an extraordinary weekend programme of inspiring, unexpected, bespoke and curated experiences in a stunning nonconformist chapel  setting. The juxtaposition of contemporary conversations and choreography in a heritage  context is mindblowing. Charlie Morrissey is a fantastically talented and intuitive producer and performer and the  work he is doing at Wainsgate is blazing a bright trail to our corner of Calderdale”
Hellen Meller