Hundreds to join mass dance celebration at this year’s Middlesbrough Mela

All roads lead to HOME at this year’s Middlesbrough Mela as one of the largest dance pieces ever performed in Middlesbrough takes centre stage on Saturday 17 August.

TeesDance, a new organisation championing dance, are working with hundreds of participants across the Tees Valley this summer on a spectacular large scale, promenade performance that will entertain the crowds in Albert Park on the first day of the annual Mela weekend. 

The colourful spectacle featuring people of all ages and abilities will incorporate dance, music, costume and site décor all based around the concept of HOME. 

Commissioned by Borderlands Creative People and Places and funded by Arts Council England, the project will feature professional dancers alongside a community cast made up of people from across Middlesbrough.  

Many will have been attending dance sessions in venues across the town; others will have participated in creating site dressing including hundreds of beautifully crocheted flowers; some will be dressed in costumes based around Middlesbrough’s iconic buildings and others will have contributed their voices to the specially commissioned soundtrack. 

HOME will also be popping up at Ormesby Hall’s Love Local event on 22 & 23 June as well as Middlesbrough’s Orange Pip market on 27 July.  Visitors to these events will be able to find out more about the project as well as learn a few simple dance routines to enable them to take part in the final performance. 

And on finale day on Saturday 17 August, there will be two opportunities to experience HOME at 1pm and 5pm when TeesDance will be inviting spectators to join in the performance with an easy-to-follow dance routine that can be learnt on the day or beforehand via an online tutorial.

“We are incredibly excited to be working on HOME with our partners and the local community,” said Amy Swalwell, Director at TeesDance. “This project is a unique opportunity to celebrate what makes Middlesbrough home for so many people, and to create a truly special performance that will be enjoyed by all.”

Free weekly dance sessions for all ages and abilities start at the beginning of June in venues across Middlesbrough. Everyone is welcome to attend, no booking needed, just turn up and join in.   

Mondays

09:30 – 10:30 Hemlington Recreation Centre

11:00 – 12:00 Langdon Square Centre, Coulby Newham

13:00 – 14:00 – Easterside Community Hub

18:00 – 19:00 Newport Community Hub (Afrobeats class)

Tuesdays

10:00 – 11:00 North Ormesby Community Hub

Wednesdays

10:00 – 11:00 Marton Community Hub

Fridays

11:15 – 12:15 Community Venture, Thorntree

13:00 – 14:00 West Middlesbrough Family Hub, Whinney Banks

Saturdays

14:00 – 15:00 St Mary’s Centre, LGBTQIA+

There are also specialist sessions for wheelchair dance; autistic, neurodivergent and learning disability groups; young people and older age groups.  And in addition to these weekly groups, TeesDance will also be holding free summer holiday sessions across Middlesbrough for families as well as experienced local dancers in Bollywood, Kathak, Urban and Contemporary styles.

Amy adds, "Everyone can dance but not everyone gets the chance, and we hope that HOME will provide opportunities for communities to experience dance, no matter who you are or where you live.”

Borderlands Director Shahda Khan saidShahda Borderlands is about enabling more people to create and take part in brilliant creative experiences and HOME is certainly doing that! We look forward to seeing the outcome in August.

Director of Middlesbrough Mela, Kash Patel said “We are delighted to be working with TeesDance and welcome the HOME project to what promises to be another amazing Mela weekender. The ethos of Mela is all about breaking down barriers, community engagement and cultural participation and this project enables our audiences to do just that via the medium of dance.”

Anyone interested in getting involved in HOME can find out more at https://home.teesdance.org.uk/

Ends

Editor’s Notes

Borderlands is a creative engagement programme, with the environment, heritage, place and radical reimagination as key themes. Our approach is regenerative and embeds principles of climate care, circular economies (local talent, local organisations and suppliers) as well as local knowledge and wisdom. While we are inspired by global ideas and learning, there is creative resource much closer to home that Borderlands support, platform and learn from, especially our communities. Borderlands works with our communities to tell the stories of our people and our places. We amplify voices which are rarely heard and often ignored.

For further information and links to social media:

https://borderlandscreative.com/

Middlesbrough Mela is an annual multicultural festival that has been running since 1990. It is the longest running Mela in the UK and takes place in Albert Park on 17 & 18 August 2024. It remains a free family friendly event with live entertainment, an international shopping bazaar, fun fair, children’s activities and workshops. It attracts up to 50,000 people and many traders from all over the UK who showcase their products and services there.

For more information visit www.middlesbroughmela.co.uk or follow the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/melaboro