Enjoy St Valentine's Weekend Events at Down Arts Centre

Swingabella’s Sweetheart’s Tea Dancexa0onxa0Friday 15 Februaryxa0at 6pm. Onxa0Saturday 16 Februaryxa0at 8pm Maiden Voyage Dance will present a very male take on dance inxa0Manifestoxa0and onxa0Sunday 17 Februaryxa0at 3pm we have a relaxing afternoon recital of light classical music,The Spirit of Spring and Love. [caption id="attachment_36018" align="alignright" width="360"] Come and dance to the Swingabella Tea Dance at the Down Arts Centre.[/caption] Come and joinxa0Swingabellaxa0on Friday 15 February as they perform for this special Valentine’s Tea Dance. Don your favourite vintage glad rags, curl that hair, apply copious amounts of Brylcreem and put on your dancing shoes for the retro Tea Dance is coming to Downpatrick. Swingabellaxa0is a close-harmony vocal trio bringing back the sassy sound of the 30’s, and 40’s – the Swing era. The creation of Swingabella stems from the three members’ love of the intimate and intricate harmonies of the Andrews Sisters in the 40’s and the Boswells Sisters before them. Nothing conjures up the image of that era quite like the jauntyxa0Don’t Sit Under the Apple Treexa0and the ever-popularxa0In The Moodxa0coquettishly sung by three broads in victory rolls and T-bar shoes! However, don’t be surprised to hear an occasional well-known pop tune that’s been Swingabellafied! Swingabella will be performing with a quartet of musicians (dubbed the Swingafellas!) for this event.xa0 Non-dancers also very welcome. On Saturday 16xa0February,xa0Maiden Voyage Dancexa0will present their exciting new triple-bill of dance theatre, wherexa0physicality, power and passion abound. Entitledxa0Manifesto, the production features three dance commissions by men. They are Fermanagh-basedxa0Dylan Quinn, Belgianxa0Filip Van Huffelxa0and Cork-born New York City basedxa0Luke Murphy. [caption id="attachment_36019" align="alignleft" width="150"] See Maiden Voyage Dance in action.[/caption] As anyone who has watched shows likexa0Strictly Come Dancingxa0will know, male dancers require very high levels of fitness, physical strength and stamina.xa0 Manifestoxa0will highlight thexa0physicality and athleticism of dance in three contrasting works.xa0xa0Quinn’s dance theatre piece looks at the way traditional society views the roles of men and women. Van Huffel’s work is fast and dynamic, demanding strength and precision, pushing the male physique to its limits.xa0Murphyxa0takes a traditional ballet story and retells it in the context of a modern dayxa0high school reunion, complete with an original drum and bass soundtrack. Dancer Gerrard Martin said: “Dance is such a hot industry at the moment and the male half of society are starting to change their attitudes about it. The rise in popularity of programmes such asxa0Britain’s Got Talentxa0has definitely helped, as hasxa0Strictly Come Dancing! [caption id="attachment_36020" align="alignright" width="250"] Enjoy the sounds of classical music to get you in the mood for Spring.[/caption] “My career has been really varied – I’ve danced for Lionel Richie in one of his pop videos and performed in the West End inxa0Disney’s Lion King. The opportunities dance has given me are second to none and it is exciting to think that throughxa0Manifestoxa0we are going to be able to share this programme with young men in Northern Ireland.” On Sunday 17 February,xa0Downe Independent Promotionsxa0presentsxa0The Spirit of Spring and Love, a recital of light classical music, celebrating spring and love, with violinist Anna Cashell and Comber-born mezzo-soprano Jenny Bourke, accompanied by pianist Simon Watterton. To purchase tickets (Swingabella & Manifesto £10 / £8, Spring and Love £12 / £10) and for further information on any Down Arts Centre events, please contact the box office on 028 4461 0747. The complete Down Arts Centre Season Programme is available to download atxa0www.downartscentre.com]]>