IT’S TIME FOR SOME FESTIVAL FUN IN BILLINGHAM
If you’re looking for a month to let your hair down and have a good time with your friends and family then look no further than August.
As this August is the return of the Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance that is celebrating its 58th year entertaining and enthralling audiences with some of the best international, national and home grown performers ever to grace the region’s stages.
The Festival starts on August 12th and the exciting programme runs across an impressive nine days in venues located in Billingham, Darlington, Middlesbrough and Stockton.
The word ‘time’ is very significant as it forms the theme for this year’s Festival. Often people say the popular phrases like ‘time is a healer’, ‘time is of the essence’, ‘only time will tell’ or ‘lets turn back the hands of time’.
Well the significance of time for Billingham in 2023 is that BIFF is exploring and being inspired by the paintings and sculptures of the great Salvador Dali especially his series of work entitled, The Dance Of Time.
It’s like Billingham has a performing atlas taking to the stage over the summer as the dancers will be flocking to the town from Chile, Colombia, Georgia, Ghana, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, and the United Kingdom.
“We hope that residents and visitors to Billingham and beyond have the time of their life,” said Artistic Director Olga Maloney.
“We are going to sprinkle a little bit of magic across Tees Valley as we look to bring some of the world’s leading Folklore dancers and companies to the region. The Festival has a special place in so many people’s hearts as it has been around for nearly six-decades helping to create emotional and invaluable memories for audiences experiencing the wonderful shows.”
One dance company looking forward to performing at BIFF 2023 is Billingham-based Tapshoes & Tutus.
Amy Cairney, Principal Dance Instructor, said: “Everyone involved with Tapshoes & Tutus are really looking forward to performing at the Billingham Festival 2023. We are proud of the folklore festival as it’s a huge part of Billingham, and we are honoured to be part of this fabulous event representing the UK.
“The pupils love meeting all the professional dancers and learning traditional choreography. People can expect to see young dancers between the ages of three and fourteen performing a range of different styles of dance around the theme of time.”
This year’s event has received support from Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, Tees Valley Community Foundation, the Billingham Legacy Foundation and Billingham Town Council.
The featured shows being staged over the nine-days of BIFF include Juanita’s Magic Quest; the World Dance Gala; The Two Fridas; Mexican Day of the Dead; and a World of Weddings.
There’s BIFF’s Children’s Club, International Youth Dance Workshops and Adult Dance Workshops plus children’s poetry sessions and the exciting Time Trail for Kids.
All of the Festival details can be found on the official website www.billinghamfestival.com – where you can also download the full festival programme.
And remember our new ‘Pay What You Decide’ pricing deals are also being trialled for the Town’s Festival Arena dates during 2023 to try and make arts and culture affordable for everyone!
Tickets can be purchased for selected shows at the box offices of Forum Theatre, Billingham and Middlesbrough Town Hall; and from our online box office as part of the Festival website.
Also to avoid disappointment for just £1 you can reserve your seats for the Festival Arena shows, this can be done on our website.
“We look forward to welcoming you and the rest of the world to Billingham this summer!”