The line up has been announced for a nine-day dance party to mark the 60th anniversary of Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance.
This year's event will mark six decades of entertaining audiences with global dance theatre by showcasing the talents of over 250 international, national and regional dancers in venues across Tees Valley. The dates for your diary are between 9 and 17 August, which is when BIFF will be delivering 50 enchanting events in locations including Billingham, Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, and Stockton.
Performances will range from headline theatrical folklore events, international dance workshops, museum costume exhibitions, the children's club, free bandstand taster performances, and daily arena showcases located in Billingham town centre.
The countries being represented in 2025 will include: Bolivia, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, England, Georgia, Ireland, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Montenegro, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Romania, Scotland, Ukraine, and USA.
International dancers' combined round trip when travelling to and from Tees Valley to perform at BIFF 2025 will be a staggering 50,000 miles. That shows desire, commitment and ambition with the end goal to captivate audiences with their jaw-dropping dance techniques, live music and stunning traditional costumes.
Olga Maloney, artistic director, Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance, said: "We are lucky to be celebrating our 60th anniversary amongst so many friends, festival supporters and of course our international dance family who will be arriving in Tees Valley from around the world.
"In August, audiences will be treated to an array of different traditional and contemporary dance styles in theatre, museum and open-air locations. This is coupled with workshops and events where people of all ages will be able to experience international theatre up close like nowhere else in the region. This promises to be the party of the year."
The 60th anniversary celebrations are being supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Stockton Borough Council, and Arts Council’s National Lottery Project Grants programme. This is coupled with additional funding from The Billingham Legacy Foundation, The Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust, The PFC Trust, Point North, and Tees Million part of the Tees Foundation.
Here are some festival highlights:
- The Parade of Nations (9 August / Billingham Town Centre)
- 'The Carriage of Dreams' Family Show (10 August / Billingham Arena)
- Live Traditional World Costume Exhibition (10 August / Preston Park Museum)
- 'Hopak!' Ukrainian Dance Show (13 August / Middlesbrough Town Hall)
- 'The Spirit of the Railways' Show based of Mexican Celebration of the Day of the Dead (14 August / Billingham Arena)
- Departing at 18:25 (15 August / The Forum Theatre)
- World Dance Gala (16 August / Forum Theatre)
Tickets are on sale now from the Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance website www.billinghamfestival.com/billingham-festival-2025 with prices starting at £1.
After being a massive success last time round, the festival team is continuing to include the Pay What You Decide scheme for a number of their events. This means that audience members can secure their tickets for £1 and then decide after the show what they would like to pay in the form of a donation.
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