Free Dance Festival returns with performances in Newhaven, Uckfield and Bexhill

On Friday, September 27 from 6pm, Folk Dance Remixed will be at the Sidings in Newhaven, sharing a fresh, quirky, colourful and magical collision of traditional and Hip Hop dance and music.

Think high-energy, with a unique remix of Maypole, Clogging, Ceilidh, Street, House and Breakdance with a hint of African & Bollywood… to a live soundtrack of fiddle & beat boxing - this is Folk and Street Dance like you’ve never seen it before!

This will be followed by a 7.30pm with a Ceilidh Jam, which will get you on your feet. Join in for a unique, folky, social dance, using traditional callers to teach, dancers will be sharing legendary moves and freestyle grooves – from the Soul Train Line to Lucky 7, Strip the Willow to the Electric Slide.

On Saturday, September 28, Folk Dance Remixed will reappear with performances at 12.30pm and 2.30pm on Luxford Field, in Uckfield. This brings an opportunity to see this fresh, quirky, colourful and magical collision of traditional and Hip-Hop dance and music.

The festival ends on Sunday, September 29 with the Black Victorians in Bexhill on the De La War Pavilion Terrace.

Jeanefer Jean-Charles dynamic performance of the Black Victorians was inspired by 19th century studio photographs of Black men, women and children - Black Chronicles II curated by Renée Mussai at the Autograph Gallery in London.

Exploring a complex, but often forgotten Black presence in pre-Windrush Britain, this performance calls attention to previously hidden figures and challenges historical and contemporary perceptions. Picture dancers dressed in restrictive Victorian costumes, shedding them in rebellion as they dance in African, contemporary and hip-hop styles re-imagining a moment in history.

Their movement will invoke their origins in powerful ways, bringing voice and body to the portraits that inspired us. Either presented in evocative Victorian architecture, within a museum or other outdoor sites, this is an opportunity to experience history as told through choreography

Journeys Festival of Dance produced by 18 Hours, is completely free with no need to book. The festival visits three towns: Newhaven, September 27, Uckfield, September 28 and Bexhill, September 29 and is supported by Arts Council England, Wealden Town Council, Newhaven Enterprise Zone, Rother District Council, and East Sussex Arts Partnership.

For more information about Journeys Dance Festival, visit www.18hours.org.uk