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THOUSANDS of youngsters and adults will be dancing the days away when they’re stuck at home due to measures introduced to beat the coronavirus pandemic.
Renfrewshire Leisure’s Active Schools team has produced a free online dance workshop video for people to follow at home.
And within hours of the sign-up for the video being launched, more than 800 people registered to be sent a link to download the dance workshop, on Wednesday, March 25.
The video workshop is led by a former dancer, Samantha Duncan, who is now an Active Schools Co-ordinator with Renfrewshire Leisure.
The 30-minute video features three dances, including one which shows moves that can be done sitting in a chair.
Renfrewshire Leisure’s chairperson, Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes said: “It’s a shame that our clubs and activity camps have had to be cancelled, but we’ve all got to do our bit by staying at home, to help stop the coronavirus spreading further.
“To make sure everyone has the chance to stay active and have some fun to look forward to, we filmed a dance workshop that everyone can download for free and follow in their own homes.
“The dance workshop is not just for children and young people, the grown-ups can also join in. And if anyone is in a wheelchair or is not that steady on their feet, they can still take part because one of the dance routines can be done sitting in a chair.
“And we’d encourage everyone to share videos of their family’s dance moves on social media by tagging @RL4Leisure on Facebook and @RLSPortServices on Twitter using the hashtag #RLSportAtHome.”
Councillor Hughes added: “We’re all facing challenging times just now and we’d like to say a big thank-you to our customers for their understanding and support.”
Log on to www.renfrewshire-leisure.class4kids.co.uk to get the free download link for the dance workshop.
The Diane Mitchell Music School will be running a School of Rock and Pop week for kids ages 7-14 years
Play and instrument or sing? Come along and use your talents to collaborate with others, play in a band and perform at the end of the week
A Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: “In line with national guidance from the Scottish Government on the coronavirus, we have taken the decision to cancel all large-scale Renfrewshire Council-run events until the end of June.
“This will include the Paisley Food and Drink Festival which was due to take place on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 April and an agreement with the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association (RSPBA) to cancel the British Pipe Band Championships in Paisley, which was set to take place on Saturday 23 May.
“We will also look to reschedule both Renfrew Gala Day and Barshaw Gala Day for the end of summer.
“We will continue to review our future events, including Sma’ Shot Day on Saturday 4 July, as the situation progresses.
“We would advise everyone to continue to observe the medical advice available at NHS Inform. For further information, please visit www.nhsinform.scot/coronavirus.
“For ongoing updates to our event programme, please visit www.paisley.is.”
NEW SPACE FESTIVAL, THE FIRST EVER FESTIVAL OF NEW WORK IS ON AT PAISLEY ARTS CENTRE ON FRIDAY 20 – SATURDAY 21 MARCH
The first ever New Space Festival makes its Renfrewshire debut on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 March at Paisley Arts Centre. The festival is an opportunity for Paisley and the wider community to experience new work – plays, theatre, music and performances before anyone else and for artists and companies to try out new work in front of an audience. The festival is co-curated by Jordan Blackwood, a local theatre director and facilitator and Carla Marina Almeida, Performance Programmer, Cultural Services, Renfrewshire Leisure.
The Festival organisers said: ‘New Space is all about giving artists the opportunity to test out new ideas in a relaxed, supportive and creative environment. For the inaugural festival, six artists are being given space, time and resources to develop new work. The result of what happens in the rehearsal spaces will be shared over two evenings, giving audiences the opportunity to be the first to see new work that will one day become full productions. We’re putting new stories at the forefront, come and join us!’
Programme:
Friday 20 March, 7.30pm
FLESH by Kirsty May Hamilton
Flesh invites the audience to tour the prototype of a new world. Spectators are welcome to capitalise on an institution breeding sin free vessels in a future utopian state. Flesh weaves fragments of live art, video artistry and spoken word into an experimental theatre performance. This sharing of work explores the political potential of poetic language.
Unexpected Item by Suzi Cunningham and Dylan Read
Unexpected Item presents a surprise encounter between two of Scotland’s finest theatre/dance/performance artists. It deals with themes of connection and resistance and celebrates latent energy through humour, physical commitment and formal subversion.
Text Me When You Get Home by Siren
Text Me When You Get Home is gig theatre exploring hyper-vigilance necessitated by women in Glasgow’s club scene. Blending live music, storytelling and poetry, it examines rape culture, female solidarity and the aftermath of the #metoo movement.
Lewis Sherlock – Tech – Puppetry Scratch Night – Fri 14 June 2019 – Roxy Assembly (© photographer – Andy Catlin www.andycatlin.com)
Saturday 21 March, 7.30pm
Thread by Kick the Door
An original musical about a changing town on the edge of a changing world. Thread follows Ellie, a young girl who has to return home after the passing of her mother to help her sister sort through her childhood home. It explores change, both within our own homes and within our communities.
The Thief by Lewis Sherlock
Here comes the Thief now! He’s given up stealing for slim pickings and pilfering purses in order to pocket the big prize. A theatre-going audience, he knows are totally minted…He’s gonna get away with him too, or so he thinks, because Picasso once said that ‘Art is theft’ – isn’t it? The Thief is a small puppet with a human head who directly responds to audience suggestions for actions whilst attempting to steal their possessions.
Men At Work by Wonder Fools
Men At Work will combine storytelling, movement and video design to create an exciting and dynamic piece of new contemporary theatre examining the mental health crisis on construction sites. In the UK, more than one construction worker takes their own life every day, 3.7 times the national average. The piece will be based on interviews with real people within the industry, explore workplace banter and demonstrate the importance of human connection.
For further information, interviews, photographs contact: Wendy Niblock PR: wendyjniblock@btinternet.
LISTINGS:
New Space Festival
Friday 20 and Saturday 21 March, 7.30pm
Paisley Arts Centre
£10/£6 concession plus booking fee
0300 300 1210 / www.renfrewshireleisure.com/
The Diane Mitchell Music School offers Musical activities and workshops to Nurseries, Schools and community groups.
if you’re interested in these activities, contact us at info@dianemitchellmusicschool.
SUPERFAN in association with Tron Theatre presents
Like Animals
A parrot says ‘I love you’. A dolphin tries to speak. A woman spends a lifetime trying to understand.
Paisley Arts Centre on Friday 17 April.
Newly announced National Theatre of Scotland Company in Residence SUPERFAN set off on tour from 4 April – 1 May 2020 with Like Animals: a funny and poignant look at love and communication in human (and not so human) relationships.
Directed by Herald Angel Award winner Ellie Dubois (No Show) and inspired by true accounts of research scientists working to communicate with animals, Like Animals weaves stories of human-animal communication around an exploration into the real-life relationship of performers Kim Donohoe and Pete Lannon.
Every night, Alex the parrot and Irene the scientist bid one another farewell with ‘be good, see you tomorrow, I love you.’ As time marches on and their relationship deepens, Alex begins to use the language he has learned from Irene to manipulate her. Peter the dolphin lives in a flooded house with Margaret, who is teaching him English. Working together in a bizarre NASA-funded experiment, their relationship garners unwelcome attention in the press with headlines such as ‘The Woman who lived in sin with a dolphin’ (The Telegraph, June 2014). Delving into the research, Kim and Pete tell these stories with only a paddling pool and a couple of wetsuits.
MJ McCarthy’s delicate score and Rachel O’Neill’s surreal, contemporary design draws audiences into the joy and heartbreak of trying, and sometimes failing, to understand another being.
Like Animals has been developed in association with Tron CREATIVE through their Scratch and Tron Lab opportunities, and with support from Creative Scotland’s Open Project Fund.
SUPERFAN is a new Scottish performance company who create performances for adult and young audiences that blend theatre, live art, circus and dance. SUPERFAN won the 2019 Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award.
SHORTLIST – BEST THEATRE PRODUCTION, BROADWAY WORLD EDINBURGH FESTIVAL AWARDS 2019
“A quirky, thought-provoking two-hander” ★★★★ – The Telegraph
“Cleverly and deliberately entertaining …a production that asks chewy questions” ★★★★ – Herald Scotland
“Communication between animals may be important on a scientific level, but good communication with the ones you love is essential” ★★★★ – The Wee Review
“At a moment when we urgently need to reassess our relationship with the natural world, an exploration of human-animal connections feels timely” – Recommended Show 2019, The Guardian
“…Original and beautifully staged” – Fest Magazine
FB @superfanperformance | T @wearesuperfan| I @superfanperformance
#LikeAnimals
Paisley Halloween Festival has been named Best Cultural Event or Festival at the Scottish Thistle Awards 2019/2020 National Final.
Organised by VisitScotland, the prestigious awards celebrate innovation, excellence and success in the Scottish tourism sector.
Paisley Halloween Parade 2018 and flying witches
The popular event in Renfrewshire Council’s annual calendar picked up the National Award for its 2018 festival, which saw crowds of over 34,000 people flock to the town across two days to enjoy a bumper programme of spectacular aerial performances, thrilling live acts and a Mardi-Gras style parade with more than 500 costumed performers.
Inspired by the town’s dark and deathly 17th century witch history, the enhanced theme of ‘Something Wicked this Way Comes’ thrilled visitors from all over Scotland.
Judges were impressed with the seasonality of the event and the growth that it has seen in recent years. They also praised event organisers for their engagement with young people and the community.
Picture Copyright Chris Watt
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The festival was a highlight of VisitScotland’s Year of Young People 2018 celebrations, with young people at the heart of the festival’s development and delivery.
A 20-strong Youth Panel worked alongside Renfrewshire Council’s Events Team to design and deliver the programme, while more than 500 young people took part in a new creative learning programme. This provided young people with the opportunity to participate in all aspects of festival from performance to live event management and technical production.
Paisley Halloween Parade 2018 and flying witches
The Scottish Thistle Awards is based on five regional programmes with the winners of each progressing to the National Final.
Paisley Halloween Festival was among 15 winners in the regional finals for the West in November – which included businesses and individuals from Greater Glasgow & The Clyde Valley, Ayrshire & Arran, Dumfries & Galloway and Argyll & Bute.
The National Final took place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre last night (5 March), and saw 18 individuals, businesses and events honoured for their contribution to the tourism sector.
Louisa Mahon, Renfrewshire Council’s Head of Communications, Marketing and Events, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Paisley Halloween Festival has won Best Festival in Scotland at the Scottish Thistle Awards. We were in a category with some of Scotland’s most amazing cultural events and are delighted to be keeping company with them. Well done to everyone.
Paisley Halloween Parade 2018 and flying witches
“Paisley Halloween is one of the most highly anticipated events in our calendar – and is now regarded as one of the biggest and best of its kind in the UK.
“Winning this award continues to put Paisley on the map as a great place to visit and experience world class cultural events – and we look forward to continuing to welcome even more people to Paisley to enjoy.”
VisitScotland Regional Leadership Director Gordon Smith, said: “Congratulations to everyone at Renfrewshire Council on winning the national Scottish Thistle Award for Best Cultural Event or Festival. This is a fantastic achievement for Paisley Halloween Festival which has become one of the most anticipated events in the region’s calendars which has gone from strength to strength in recent years.
“The Scottish Thistle Awards give businesses and individuals working within tourism in Scotland the opportunity to earn the recognition and appreciation they deserve from their own industry peers.
“The impact of tourism goes far beyond the holiday experience. It is vital to the Scottish economy, reaching every corner of the country, creating jobs and bringing economic and social change.”
The Scottish Thistle Award marks another celebration for the Paisley Halloween Festival after it won Best Festival or Outdoor Event at the EventIt E Awards in June 2019.
The Paisley Halloween Festival is organised by Renfrewshire Council and the 2018 event was supported by the Year of Young People 2018 event fund managed by EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.
To find out more about the Paisley Halloween Festival, visit: https://paisley.is/featured_event/halloween/
For more information on the Scottish Thistle Awards, visit: https://www.scottishthistleawards.co.uk/
DOZENS of secondary school pupils have taken to the stage to compete in the third Renfrewshire Schools Secondary Dance Competition.
The eight schools that took part in the contest held at Renfrew High were Castlehead, Paisley Grammar, St Benedict’s, Gryffe, Johnstone High, Park Mains, St Andrews and Renfrew High.
The dance competition organised by Renfrewshire Leisure’s Sport Services Active Schools staff allowed all year groups to compete, with more than one dance group from each school doing a routine in each category. The three categories were Junior, Senior and Mixed.
The event was judged by, Sam Duncan (Active Schools coordinator and assistant teacher at Jamdance), Jaime Stalley (Active Schools sessional coach and former dancer for Jazzle Dazzle), and Karen Moir (Owner of Karen Moir’s dance school).
The results were –
Junior category: 1. St Benedict’s High; 2. Renfrew High and 3. Castlehead High. Senior category: 1. Renfrew High; 2. Renfrew High and 3. Gryffe High. Mixed category: 1. Gryffe High; 2. Renfrew High and 3. Johnstone High.
Renfrewshire Leisure chairperson, Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes said: “There were some great performances from all the schools and they performed a range of different dance styles.
“We encourage young people to get involved in dance as it is very creative and also a good way to keep fit and healthy.”
Over its short time in existence, Mill has grown to become the preeminent culture and lifestyle magazine for Renfrewshire. A free bimonthly, compact-sized and dynamically constructed publication, the title showcases the best people, artists, businesses, events and developments from across the region.
Bustling with engaging content that encompasses music, film, TV, fashion, beauty, travel, food and drink, interiors and property, the magazine represents the increasing vibrancy of the area and acknowledges that just as there isn’t a singular demographic that lives here, our magazine’s content should echo the broad spectrum of people that we encounter every day.
Outside of our core team, Mill also plays host to professional guest contributors who can lend their expertise to an array of pertinent topics.
A publication that prides itself on being For Renfrewshire, By Renfrewshire, on average, 6,000 magazines will reach 18,000 to 24,000 readers and potential customers every issue.
New issue out at the end of February.
