Aspiring young dancers from Manchester’s Infinity Dance have won the opportunity to dance in a curtain raiser performance at Waterside Arts Centre.

Through the Young Choreographers Celebration (YCC) 2017, which is run by UK professional dance company, Chantry Dance Company, the lucky winners will open for Chantry Dance Company’s production of The Sandman.

2017 is the second year for Chantry Dance Company’s Young Choreographers Celebration following an incredibly successful first year. The event, which takes place in cities across the UK, has seen young dance students from dance schools and universities take part in a choreography competition. The competition is adjudicated Chantry Dance Company’s professional choreographers Rae Piper and Paul Chantry, who are known as the choreographers of David Walliam’s Gangsta Granny and the Horrible Histories stage shows, as well as choreographing for international Opera and dance houses such as Sadler’s Wells and the Royal Opera House.

With Chantry Dance Company’s 2017 touring production being The Sandman, the bringer of dreams, Students from Infinity Dance were asked to create a piece of choreography based on the theme of Dreams.  Outstanding pieces were selected by the Chantry adjudicator for the incredible opportunity to perform their choreography in a curtain raiser performance at the Waterside Arts Centre, prior to Chantry Dance Company’s performance of The Sandman. Other awards to the students included the chance for them to watch Chantry’s professional dancers in their daily class, and fully subsidized places on a choreography workshop run by Chantry’s choreographers.

Chantry Dance present The Sandman at Waterside Arts Centre

Chantry Dance present The Sandman at Waterside Arts Centre

Following the curtain raiser performance, Chantry present their 2017 UK tour programme, the new, original full-length dance show, The Sandman, an original contemporary ballet.  The Sandman’s magical rainbow umbrella imparts good dreams, and his dark umbrella brings nightmares to humans. A woman yearns for good dreams to heal her ailing husband, so she visits the DreamWorld to steal the umbrellas. But what will happen if the umbrellas get mixed up…?

Where and when does The Sandman run in Manchester?

The Sandman is performed at Waterside Arts Centre, Sale, on Thursday 28 September at 7.30pm