Organisers reveal line-up of children’s arts festival
THE SPARK WILL RETURN THIS MONTH WITH A MIXTURE OF LIVE AND ONLINE EVENTS
CHILDREN’S arts event The Spark Festival will return next month - and organisers have announced the lineup.
Run by the charity the Spark Arts for Children, it will take place in Leicester from February 7 to 13 with both live and online events.
Children and families can take part in schools, libraries, their homes, their communities and in well-known city venues.
Live performances will include:
■ Little Murmur. Presented by Aakash Odedra Company, this dance piece incorporates technology and illustration and is described as an honest and funny tale about the trials and tribulations of seeing things differently. It will premiere in Leicester at schools during the week and at Belgrave library on February 12 before touring the UK.
■ Mmm Ahh Whoosh. Singer Mellow Baku promises to take youngsters on a musical journey through folk, jazz and scat at Attenborough Arts Centre on February 9 and 10. ■ Don Kipper. Described as a funky, multi award-winning band, Don Kipper draw musical inspiration from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. The band will be performing at the Y Theatre on February 12. Suitable for all ages. ■ Josephine. Aimed at children aged seven and over, this performance uses irresistible rhythms to tell the story of dancer activist and spy Josephine Baker. It will be performed at Curve on February 12 and 13.
Councillor Piara Singh Clair, deputy city mayor for culture, said: “Every year the Spark Festival continues to surprise and attract family audiences.
“The whole of Leicester will become a stage for the very best performers, as school halls and libraries transform into venues for performing arts, alongside established assets like Curve and The Y Theatre.
“It means every corner of our city will have high quality pe r fo r - mances on offer. The Spark Festival is an asset to our city.”
Trina Haldar, associate director at The Spark Arts for Children, said: “Like a first breath, at the Spark we notice the extraordinary in the seemingly ordinary. We see
The festival will ignite imaginations and give families the chance to escape the everyday routine
Daryl Beeton
things with a new gaze and want to help people recognise the remarkable in themselves.
“After a challenging year, our 2022 festival brings the opportunity to find joy in the simplest of things, the feeling of butterflies in your stomach, the planting of a seed or a familiar tale, told like you’ve never heard before. February is the time to be in Leicester.”
Fellow associate director Daryl Beeton said: “The festival will ignite imaginations, enable children to feel reflected in the performances they watch and give families the chance to escape the everyday routine.
“We want families to spend time out together making the kind of memories they will never ever forget.”