The Festival looks ahead
 
Sponsors, Supporters, & Partners:
Bath & North East Somerset Council
     

Dance Festival alive and looking to 2014

We continue to receive many enquiries regarding the the dance festival in Bath. The Festival will continue to take a rest year for 2013 and look to swinging back into action in 2014. The climate has continued to prove reasonably challenging for large scale events and the festival directors take a sensitive view of this. With enough support the festival will spring onto the dance floor in the near future and there are plans in place, just ready for the go button when the time is right! We believe very passionately in the Bath Dance Festival and everything it stands for. We'll keep you posted.

For those who know about the roots of the International Festival, it was developed by two professional dancers based in Bath, James & Joanna. Over the last three years they have given up over 3500 voluntary hours of their time and just over £10,000 of their own money to bring the festival into the community of Bath for everyone to enjoy. The festival is looking at ways in which we can place less demands on them in the future and needs the full support of everyone to make this great event happen each year.

The festival refuses outright to be a financial burden to the local authority particularly in the current climate and consequently, although eligible, did not wish to become a major funded organisation. Indeed when the festival was first conceived, this was prior to the recession where commercial sponsorship was more freely available and the current economic climate is now very different.

The Festival would like to thank all of its supporters, in particular Bath & North East Somerset Council for their support in helping bring an enjoyable event to the people of Bath. We look forward to challenging the community with some other wonderful dance initiatives in the coming years.... Keep Dancing!!

 

 

 

See the archive Headlines below:

 

Masked Ball Gallery on-line

For all those who went to the festival's Masked Ball, you can view and choose your photos online at PhotoDabek's gallery here. The password is BATH in uppercase.

World Record in the News

Photos are now on-line in the gallery here. Please do send us your photos for the website too by e-mailing them to . If you haven't seen the huge media follow-up to the incredible World Record Dance then please take a look at these links to videos articles and comments in The Telegraph, The Daily Mail, The Bath Chronicle, left side video on Youtube, right side video on Youtube, and an amazing overhead video on Youtube.

Dancestars Tickets on door

There is still last minute availability on the festivals famous cabaret dance show, the Dancestars Show today. Tickets will be available at the Assembly Rooms from 10am today so call in to get your tickets but be quick, with the cooler weather today this show is expected to sell out. Don't miss it!

Amazing New World Record

Braving the elements? Well 232 people certainly did and performed an amazing umbrella dance to set an incredible new world record. A wonderful sight of 232 coloured umbrellas dancing their way in to the Guinness Book of Records will stay with us at the International Dance Festival forever. Thank you to all involved, all of the brilliant dancers, the events team, stewards, residents of Laura Place for accommodating us and of course Bath & North East Somerset Council for their support.... just wonderful!

World Record update

More information is available in the World Record section on the left, but the meeting place for the amazing "Singin' in the Rain" is at Bath Pavilion, near the leisure centre, from 11.15am on Sunday. Check your e-mail on Saturday evening for any last minute details but here at the festival we are all set. In the Pavilion you can leave belongings safely and there will be a final teaching and practice session before everyone walks across the Rec into the performance space around Laura Place before 12noon. Roads will be closed for the event. It is getting extremely exciting with the numbers registered. Wrap up in case of rain (which in some ways might be great!) and don't forget that brolly!

Tickets update

Tickets will now be left on the door if you book via the website here as last date for postage has expired. The Dancestars Show has nearly sold out of all premium tickets but has good availability in second and third rows which offer great value. Don't forget children 16 and under are half price, and a Dancestars Show ticket gives you free entry to the Monday morning dance classes.

Spectacular Line-up for Dancestars Show at BIDF2010

Full line-up and details on-line for the Dancestars Show here (Note the Dancestars Show does not feature an interval as suggested in early media due to the late inclusion of five times world salsa champions Swing Latino from Cali, Colombia).

Amazing new World Record Attempt at BIDF2010

Bath International Dance Festival 2010 has received permission to attempt an amazing new World Record for the largest ever umbrella dance at BIDF 2010 set to a specially adapted version of "Singin in the Rain". Not only that, this event, which is supported by Bath & North East Somerset Council, is to be held in the World Famous Laura Place, Great Pulteney Street, Bath thanks to the kind residents of Pulteney Street. To find out more about this free event, click on the World Record section on the left and learn the simple steps.


Excitement builds for BIDF2010

Bath International Dance Festival 2010 is now less than one month away and excitement is building for the major events. The huge range of taster classes has expanded this year now featuring adult ballet, Kizomba and African dance amongst the newer highlights. Be sure to get your class pass and take full advantage of the opportunities to try out over 18 styles of dance - don't forget children can get in with you for half price but must be supervised whilst taking part. Keep an eye on the website for all of the latest information and updates for the festival, or sign up for the e-mailing list on the left to get all the very latest news sent out to you.


March 8th: Tickets for BIDF2010 on general release

Bath International Dance Festival have now released much anticipated tickets for BIDF2010. Tickets are available either on-line here or via Bath Festivals Box Office. Please see the Tickets section for more information.







News Archive:

All information for the 2009 dance festival is below here.

Headlines - World Record Waltz Video On-line

We are World Record Waltzers - Thank you
A sunny Abbey Square saw the record smashed as 630 waltzed into the record books. Well done!

 

Headlines - World Record Waltz Video Now On-line

Finally you can see the on-line video documenting the new World Record Waltz here:

Part 1

Part 2

 

World Record Waltz, call for photos

Bath International Dance Festival waltzed in the record books on Sunday 3rd May, breaking the existing record of 484 simultaneous waltzers and raising the bar to an incredible 630. An unforgettable moment set against the Abbey and Roman Baths on a beautiful sunny May morning. Congratulations to all who joined in this attempt - we welcome your comments and photos and hope you had a very memorable morning. Send all photos (less than 6mb per e-mail) to



Our thanks are extended to Bath & North East Somerset Council for their kind support and having faith in us, also to Jade Dunbar and the Events Management and volunteer team, sponsors Capita Symonds, the Bath Dancentre, Bombay Nights, and Frontline Style, also to the strength and support of Loraine at Morgan-Brinkhurst Consultancy and her team, and finally all of our local media and press, The Bath Chronicle, Western Daily Press, ITV, BBC Points West, BBC Radio Bristol, BBC Radio Somerset, Heart, Bath FM and more... Thank you all so much but our final words rest with the World Record Waltzers: a community brought together by six steps and a song - its a fantastic achievement and our sincere congratulations.

 

Returned tickets for the Dancestars Show (none presently) will be made available on the door. Presently we don't think there will be any returns but it is possible. All-class passes will be available on the door, but not for single workshops.

The shortform guide is available now and in electronic format here. If you are able to help us put up a poster, please download them from here.

Join in the World Record Waltz on Sunday morning - whatever the weather come and join in one of the events of the year as we dance into the record books in style! Don't forget to register following the link on the left too.

 

News Archive:

Jonathan&Hazel

Photo: Andrew Miller

With two months to go, early-bird tickets have just been released for the main events of the dance festival weekend. See the tickets section for details of how to get hold of these, set to be in demand over this busy weekend.

Event listings have now been updated with fuller information of the activities including the provisional taster classes and workshops timetable, and details of the main events and attractions, including how to get involved in the spectacular World Record Attempt on Sunday 3rd May.

Less than four months to go and preparations are well in advance for the 2009 International Dance Festival. The full line-up, due to be announced this month to coincide with ticket sales, is being confirmed but we are excited to bring you news of a special visit of the newly crowned 2008 British National Professional Ballroom Champions, the relatively new partnership of Jonathan Wilkins & Hazel Newberry MBE. We are delighted to announce Jonathan & Hazel will be visiting for the weekend and performing their 5-dance show on Sunday afternoon during the festival's afternoon tea dance in the fabulous Guildhall banquetting room. More details will appear shortly but this is one not to be missed.

Bath International Dance Festival 2009 is launched by the Chairman of Bath & North East Somerset in October where we released the first exciting news of the 2009 festival, including an appearance by former World Showdance Champions, and stars of Strictly Come Dancing, Vincent Simone & Flavia Cacace and news of an exicting dance World Record attempt to be set against once of Bath's most famous backdrops on the Sunday morning. Read the article in The Bath Chronicle. Keep an eye out here for the most up-to-date news or sign up for the festival e-news using the sign up box on the left.

Viva La Dance Ltd is pleased to announce two important changes for the festival in 2009: first, Bath Dance Festival becomes Bath International Dance Festival owing to the truly multi-national dance dimension it showcases in the South West every year and second a new set of dates for the diary - Bath International Dance Festival now has a perminent home on the annual calendar of the first Bank Holiday weekend in May each year. This links the event to two other exciting events taking place in the city of Bath over the same weekend: Bath Spring Flower Show and Bath's new singing festival, Sing For Life. Commenting on the changes, James Whitehead, MD of Viva La Dance Ltd said, "The South West will see a fantastically vibrant weekend each year with the International Dance Festival, Flower Festival and Sing for Life. We are delighted to be a key part of these fantastic activities and look forward to welcoming visitors to the region for something quite special. We're expecting everyone to take part in the dance World Record attempt on the Sunday morning too!"

 

 

 

 

   

Performed 2010
   

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