We danced up a storm thanks to Paisley 2021
Culture bid fund granted £13,000 for kids’classes
Kids in Paisley learned to dance from some of the best in the business after funding attracted an awardwinning company to town.
Bosses at right2dance secured more than £13,000 funding from the Paisley 2021 Culture, Heritage and Events Fund to fund free dance classes for children after the internationally renowned New Adventures and Re: Bourne company paid a visit.
They delivered a week- long series of workshops to the young dancers and the funding also allowed right2dance to run a series of taster sessions in schools throughout Renfrewshire.
Over the course of the sessions dance artists Sophia Hurdley and Alan Vincent used themes of weaving and the mills inspired by Paisley’s history and heritage.
The classes culminated in a performance at Paisley Town Hall where the young people showcased their new work to friends and family.
Alana Hughes, 11, is one of the children who took part.
She said: “I danced when I was much younger but then my teacher moved away so I stopped.
“I found out about the Paisley 2021 class after right2dance came to my school and I decided to give it a go.
“I love the class. Everyone is really nice and the teachers are great.
“Learning from Sophia and Alan this week has been amazing.
“It feels like I’ve been a professional dancer for the week and I’ve learned so much from them.
“It’s a great feeling dancing in shows – I feel really proud of myself afterwards. I’d definitely like to be a professional dancer when I’m older.”
New Adventures and Re:Bourne dance artist, Alan Vincent said: “It’s been great to spend this much time with the kids to get to know them and see them learn more as the week’s gone on we usually only get to spend a day or two with the groups during the workshops.”
Sophia Hurdley added: “There’s definitely a lot of potential in the groups we’ve worked with this week.”
When asked what benefits a successful UK City of Culture 2021 bid would mean for Paisley, Sophia said: “It could only be a great thing for the town.
“It would attract all sorts of artists from various backgrounds and companies to come to the town and work with groups like right2dance which is a great thing.”
Aileen Palombo, right2dance company coordinator, said: “The funding we secured allowed us to run a class that is accessible to everyone.
“By removing the barriers it’s given young people the chance to take part in dance and see if it’s something they would like to learn more about.
“It would be difficult to bring a dance company like New Adventures & Re: Bourne in to teach the young people without the funding and they have all really enjoyed the workshops and will take a lot away from what they have learned.
“The Paisley 2021 bid is really helping to shine a light on cultural programmes happening in the town.”
Paisley was confirmed as the sole Scottish bidder for the UK City of Culture 2021 alongside Coventry, Stoke, Sunderland and Swansea.
A final bid will be submitted in September with the winner announced in December.
For more information on Paisley 2021, visit www.paisley2021.co.uk