TWENTY folk dancers are heading to Barcelona in September to take part in a major street arts festival.
Two very different community dance groups were brought together by international carnival arts organisation Global Grooves, based at The Vale in Mossley.
Performers from The Indian Association Oldham Dancing Diyas and Saddleworth Women’s Morris & Clog are working together to create a new piece of dance that showcases their different cultural traditions.
Freya Bennett-Nielson, a producer at Global Grooves, said: “Working together, the two groups are exploring their own cultural practices, sharing stories, and finding common threads. Rather than blending styles, they are developing choreography that reflects both distinct identities and shared values.”
Ranging in age from 20s to 60s, they will travel to the Catalonian capital, in northern Spain, to appear at La Merce – the region’s biggest annual street festival.
Over a two-month period, they will work with Brazilian choreographer Adrianna Rosso to create a unique short dance piece that allows the best of both styles to shine.
Musicians Jack Tinker and Emma Marsh are working alongside the dancers to write a new piece of music for the performance, combining elements of both Indian and British folk sounds, alongside other global influences.
Laura Kemp-Smyth, from Mossley, is squire and forewoman of Saddleworth Women’s Morris & Clog – which was founded in January 2024 – and described the project as ‘a revelation’.
She added: “As a very new team, full of energy and enthusiasm about morris, our ladies are so excited. To be able to showcase morris dance alongside other traditional dance forms on the world stage, and to represent not only Greater Manchester but the UK, is an amazing opportunity.”
La Merce takes place at the end of September and Manchester has been named as this year’s guest city, following in the footsteps of Casablanca in Morocco last year. A huge number of events will run over a week – including street processions, concerts and cultural celebrations.
The work is produced by Global Grooves and commissioned by XTRAX, as well as being supported by Manchester City Council, Arts Council England and XTRAX and funded by Greater Manchester Combined Authority, GM Arts, Oldham Council and Tameside Council.