Healthy 2024: Free Tees Valley dance and nature walks
The organisers of one of the region’s most prestigious cultural events are encouraging people to get active throughout 2024 by exploring a host of Tees Valley beauty spots.
The Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance, which turns 60 next year, is offering residents the opportunity to take part in a series of 20 free and exclusive ‘arts and culture’ themed walks to celebrate the region’s parks and green spaces.
The Dance of Time treks are inspired by the great contemporary artist and sculptor, Salvador Dali, driven by his love for dance and nature.
The locally staged 90-minute walks aim to honour the great outdoors and capture the ever-changing beauty of nature across all four seasons – winter, spring, summer and autumn.
The extraordinary events will be taking in all five boroughs of Tees Valley including Darlington; Hartlepool; Middlesbrough; Redcar & Cleveland; and Stockton-on-Tees.
We are excited to announce the dates and locations for the first four free walks for 2024.
Darlington: Sunday, 11th February / South Park / 12pm-2pm
Middlesbrough: Saturday, 17th February / Stewart Park / 12pm-2pm
Redcar: Sunday, 18th February / Locke Park / 12pm-2pm
Stockton: Sunday, 25th February / Ropner Park / 12pm-2pm
The exciting twist is that to accompany the ramblers there will be dancers performing creative works introducing elements of African and Indian dance.
The flamboyant professional dancers from the North-East and Yorkshire will feature performers from the internationally renowned, Balbir Singh Dance Company and Stockton-based Taste of Africa (please note – both companies won’t be featured at all of the walks).
The Dance of Time walks will be led by North-East artist, Shirley Wells who will also be on-hand to creatively capture and document the sessions through a variety of different ways including photography.
Shirely will be the project’s visual artist in residence with the aim to weave the artistic components together to create a magical collection of work.
The Dance of Time walks is proud to be supported by an Arts Council England National Lottery Project grant.
Olga Maloney, Artistic Director of the Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance, said:
“We are privileged to have such beautiful parks and green spaces in and around Tees Valley to discover and explore.
“And for those people who are looking to count their steps throughout 2024 then look no further than taking part in our Dance of Time walks.”
Olga added: “Artists and dancers are often inspired by the shapes, colours and stories generated by nature and its surrounding landscapes, and our outdoor escapades have drawn the energy from the works of Salvador Dali.
“If you fancy breathing in some fresh air, spotting a host of local wildlife favourites, and at the same time enjoying some excellent displays of dance. Then why not sign up today.”
Bill Vince, Senior Relationship Manager, North, Arts Council England, said:
“I’m so pleased we have been able to support Dance of Time. The project is a unique opportunity for people to connect with nature and to experience some incredible dance whilst they do so.
“Tees Valley is a Priority Place for the Arts Council, we are committing resources and funding into the five boroughs across Tees Valley to ensure more people have access to creative and cultural activities, such as Dance of Time. It is fantastic that the project will be touring across the five boroughs, bringing dance to the doorstep of residents across the region.
“It is great to see that the project has received support from a range of partners including Tees Valley Local Authorities and Friends of Groups. I would also like to thank National Lottery players as this project has only been made possible through investment from the National Lottery.”
Each Dance of Time walk will be open to a maximum of 30 participants, and there are no age restrictions as the free events are available to everyone.
People can book a place by visiting the Festival’s website and registering in the events section under Dance of Time Walks or by clicking www.billinghamfestival.com/creative-walks
The first ramble of the series will be taking place in Darlington’s South Park on Sunday 11th February commencing at 12noon with people meeting outside of South Park Cafe.
As each new walk is announced it will be added to the BIFF website….so please watch this space!
It’s advised that people wear the appropriate footwear and warm clothing to mirror the weather conditions and time of year.
BIFF would also like to thank all of the local authorities and ‘Friends of groups’ that are associated with the various green spaces for allowing the Festival to use their beautiful recreational areas.
Stay healthy in 2024 and explore the great outdoor spaces of Tees Valley.
There are limited places available for each walk so booking is essential, as once the tickets are gone…they are gone!