Meta4 Dance company are thrilled to announce they will be bringing contemporary dance to even more communities across Northumberland, thanks to funding from Arts Council England, with their ambitious project Desire Lines.
Desire Lines is an innovative project aimed at increasing engagement in contemporary dance across Northumberland through community involvement. Meta4, alongside freelancers and local champions, will deliver workshops, performances, exhibitions, screenings, and a podcast to foster understanding and participation in contemporary dance. The project is designed to enhance cultural opportunities in rural areas, co-create new works, and develop sustainable engagement pathways.
The company has already been working with a number of community groups including The Wooler Life Drawing Group, Alnwick Harriers and Border Links in Berwick, to introduce contemporary dance whilst breaking down barriers due to rural locations.
As part of the project, Meta4 Dance will be hosting a number of free contemporary dance film screenings at the Alnwick Playhouse and the Maltings Berwick. Tickets can be booked via the venue’s website to secure your space, but these are free to attend and include an informal discussion with an industry professional.
Film screening dates are as follows:
- James Cousins Within Her Eyes – Berwick Maltings on Saturday 22nd February 6pm
- Ballet Black – Berwick Maltings on Saturday 26th April 3pm
- Ballet Black – Alnwick Playhouse on Thursday 8th May 6pm
As well as this, there are also free dance art exhibitions sharing the work created with The Wooler Life Drawing group, children’s art group Inky Fingers and Warkworth Knitting Group.
Dates for exhibitions are as follows:
- Dance Art Exhibition at Cheviot Centre, Wooler – from Saturday 15th – Saturday 22nd February
- Dance Art Exhibition displayed at Dance City from 3rd March
- Dance Art Exhibition at Gallery45, Felton – from Saturday 15th – Saturday 22nd March
As well as this, Meta4 will also be developing their community dance piece ‘Confluence’ which will be performed at Alnwick Gardens in May 2025.
Being a rurally based contemporary dance company, Meta4 Dance are passionate about offering opportunities to those that face the biggest location based barriers. The project will be addressing the regional gap in high-quality contemporary dance offerings, aiming to improve the local perception of dance (currently 21% poor/very poor). By connecting community members to cultural activities, Desire Lines fosters local pride and creativity, especially amongst rural audiences. Meta4 also aims to use the project to expand its team and build capacity for future initiatives.
For any enquiries please contact Beth Wardell – marketing@meta4dance.com.
Meta4 Dance Company is based in rural Northumberland. Set up in 2018 by Charlie Dunne and Lily Horgan, Meta4 is a community-based company with inclusion at its heart. Visit the website: www.meta4dance.com
