International performers to entertain Darlington crowds with free cultural show
This week, visitors and shoppers to a Tees Valley market town will be getting more than they bargained for when they’ll be entertained by some of the world’s best international performers.
On Wednesday [16th August] Darlington town centre will enjoy an extraordinary cultural experience when dancers and musicians from Bulgaria and Mexico will be grabbing people’s attention from 2pm with a free concert in the Market Square.
This special showcase is being provided by the Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance (BIFF) and Darlington Borough Council.
The two dance companies are Gotse Delchev Ensemble (Bulgaria) and Ballet La Grana Beatriz Ramirez (Mexico). They will be accompanied by the breath-taking music of Mariachi Rosales.
Olga Maloney, Artistic Director of Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance, said:
“The beauty of the Billingham Folklore Festival is that we like to share out the international arts, culture and heritage we’ll be staging for this year’s annual festival.
“We are so lucky to be attracting some of the best Folklore performers in the world to our shores, and to entertain, educate and enthral audiences with the traditional forms of global dance performance.
“People sometimes find it difficult to find time in their busy lives to take a breather and enjoy what the arts have to offer. This free concert will hopefully encourage them to visit a local theatre or concert hall in the near future.”
Wednesday’s show will also act as a preview to what North-East audiences can expect from BIFF 2023, which is nine-days of spell-binding Folklore dance, music and international customs. The Festival is being staged in venues across Tees Valley including Billingham, Darlington, Middlesbrough and Stockton.
There will be free and ticketed shows alongside workshops, story-telling, poetry, new fresh commissions and visual art.
One of the highlights will be the World Dance Gala Concert being hosted by the Forum Theatre, Billingham on Friday 18th August, which will include all of the countries being represented throughout the Festival.
They include Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, India, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, and of course the United Kingdom.
Cllr Libby McCollom, Darlington Borough Council’s cabinet member for local services, said: “We’re delighted to be able to welcome the dance companies who will bring a colourful and vibrant feel to the town centre.
“I hope shoppers and visitors will enjoy this tantalising glimpse of this year’s festival.”
This year’s festival received support from Arts Council England (National Lottery Project Grant), Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, Tees Valley Community Foundation, the Billingham Legacy Foundation and Billingham Town Council.