February 9th, 2010 by soul4dance

Birmingham Dance Festival-2010

International Dance Festival is coming to the city for the second time, running for four weeks from April 19th to May 16th, 2010. The first festival in 2008 was a huge success, seeing 60 performances from 20 countries take place in venues across the city showcasing a range of dance styles from the popular to the cutting edge. We spoke to festival co-director, David Massingham, about his hopes for next year’s dance explosion.

David Massingham, artistic director of DanceXchange, is also co-director of International Dance Festival Birmingham along with Stuart Griffiths, chief executive of Birmingham Hippodrome. Massingham nurtured the first seeds of the festival and saw it grow into one of the biggest dance festivals in the world – putting Birmingham on the map as a stage for groundbreaking and exceptional dance.

Last year’s festival attracted some 25,000 people from all over the UK and used venues across Birmingham including the Town Hall and Victoria Square with 60 performances over four weeks. Alongside the shows, professional workshops and educational sessions encouraged newcomers to experience dance activities and develop dance partnerships. The economic impact on the city was huge, bringing an estimated £4.3 million to Birmingham.

IDFB 2010 will bring great dance to venues and public spaces across the West Midlands, enabling audiences to see a vast array of stimulating international work that would otherwise be out of reach, and introducing people of all ages to healthy dance activity through exciting participatory events. Through the exceptional range of work on offer, IDFB will connect with the region’s diverse population, inspire local pride and attract visitors to the city. In so doing, IDFB will raise aspirations, benefit the local economy, and enhance the cultural life of the region.

Through the outstanding quality of its work and the partnerships that support it, IDFB is the perfect showcase for the rich dance infrastructure of Birmingham and the West Midlands, supporting the West Midlands’ Culture Programme for 2012, and presenting an incredible opportunity to celebrate Birmingham as a world destination for dance.