The Bradley Stoke Journal

A local arts development group is staging a day of free music, dance and drama workshops on Saturday 30th April.

The workshops, which are suitable for all ages,  include rock ‘n roll, guitar, disco, salsa, jazz and street dance, drama, flag spinning, pre-school drama and puppet making.

Included is a workshop and performance by the Bristol Concert Orchestra of Prokofiev’s ‘Peter and the Wolf‘ with narrator. Organiser Lynne Miller says you don’t need to understand classical music to enjoy this one – it’s aimed at children (although the grown-ups will enjoy it too!).

All the workshops are being provided by local people who are professionally qualified musicians, dancers and teachers. Prior dance or music experience is not essential in order to take part.

The Arena Arts Festival takes place from 10am to 4pm at Abbeywood Community School, New Road, Stoke Gifford, Bristol [BS34 8SF, map].

Read on to find out more details and how to book a place »

The South West’s Asian community will be heading to Bradley Stoke once more on Saturday (6th November 2010) to celebrate Diwali in the Town Square.

Radio Mast FM, an Asian radio channel in the South West, is staging a repeat of its highly-successful 2009 event, to mark the Indian “festival of light”.

The theme of the event is “Diwali at Little India”, which aims to recreate an Indian market setting on Diwali day.

The market will feature stalls selling Indian Diwali sweets, Indian designer jewellery and Indian fashion, with beauty stalls offering henna painting and Indian eyebrow shaping.

Further market stalls will be selling Bollywood CDs and DVDs, fireworks for Diwali and Diwali Divas (Indian candle holders for Diwali).

The numerous food stalls will include Krishna’s Inn, from Clifton, selling “food from God’s own country” and Curry in a Hurry, specialising in Mughlai delicacies.

On stage, the organisers have lined up live performances by Indian traditional dancers, Bhangra Dhol players and dancers, singers and the band Goldie.

Read on for more details of the acts and the day’s schedule »

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Three teams from a Bradley Stoke street dance group were victorious in their respective classes at the recent 2009 UDO Welsh Street Dance Championships in Newport.

Fahrenheit Dance Studio Bristol’s K Boom team (pictured above,  left)  came first in the under-10 newcomer category.

The group’s Escape team (centre) were winners of the under-14 open category, while “veterans” BS1 (right) beat off six other teams to clinch the under-18 intermediate title.

The teams all train on Saturdays at Riverside Leisure Club, Little Stoke, and they also took part in the recent 10th Anniversary celebration event at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre.

Fahrenheit’s leader Miraille Dehaney says the teams are all looking forward to the British Championships, which take place at Brean Sands in February:

They will have hard competition as the Irish and Scottish teams all compete there, but I have every faith that they will get placed.

The group runs “pay as you go” dance classes on Tuesday evenings at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre.

The Asian community in the South-West will be celebrating Diwali in Bradley Stoke’s Town Square this coming weekend.

Radio Mast FM, an Asian radio channel in the South-West, is staging a road show on Saturday afternoon (17th October) to mark the occasion of Diwali (festival of light) – celebrated by Hindus all over the world.

The theme of the event is “Diwali at Little India” and the organisers are promising live performances by Indian traditional dancers, Bhangra Dhol players and dancers, singers and non-stop Bollywood sounds by Radio Mast FM DJs.

The on-stage action will be accompanied by an Indian market in the Town Square featuring Indian Diwali sweet stalls, Indian designer jewellery, Indian clothing and make-up artists, henna painting, Indian eyebrow shaping, Indian guru fortune telling, Bollywood CDs & DVDs, fireworks for Diwali and Diwali Divas (Indian candle holders for Diwali).

A bouncy castle and face painting stall will keep the younger children entertained.

The event begins at 12.30 pm and will end with a grand finale around sunset, when traditional candles will be lit around the Town Square accompanied by a performance of the Indian Dandiya Raas (stick dance).

Radio Mast FM can be heard online 24/7 on www.bigqunlimited.com. The station, currently based on the Fishponds Road in Bristol, has hopes of gaining a digital broadcasting (DAB) licence for the South Gloucestershire area.

Two teams from a Bradley Stoke street dance group achieved top placings in the recent 2009 UDO British Street Dance Championships at Brean Sands.

Fahrenheit Dance Studio Bristol’s BS1 team (formerly Extreme) came 2nd in the under 18 intermediate class, while the group’s Escape team finished 5th in the under 14 intermediate category.

The studio’s DZire (under 18 newcomer) and Upgrade (under 14 newcomer) teams also performed creditably without achieving a podium position.

Fahrenheit’s Miraille Dehaney described the Escape team’s performance as “brilliant” and also praised the Upgrade team, who only got together in November and “did extremely well overcoming their nerves against 16 other teams.”

The teams train on Sundays at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre and Riverside Leisure Club, Little Stoke. Fahrenheit also runs open street dance classes on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at the leisure centre – contact Miraille on 07875-101951 for further details.

Saturday 14th March sees a street dance event being held at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre, where Marcquelle Ward, who played “BB” in the hit show Britannia High on C4, will be hosting a workshop and signing autographs. The event runs from 5pm to 8pm and places are limited – click on the thumbnail to find out more.

A street dance teacher from Bradley Stoke’s Fahrenheit Dance Studio is to appear on stage at next week’s Royal Variety Performance in London.

Kane Silver, who teaches children in classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Bradley Stoke Leisure, has been chosen to dance with Britain’s Got Talent winner George Sampson at the prestige event.

Having been successful in the highly competitive auditions for the role, Kane is currently taking part in a week of rehearsals prior to the event, which takes place this Thursday (11th December) at the London Palladium, in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.

Kane also coaches three of Fahrenheit’s dance troops, who compete regularly at venues around the country. The troops recently claimed second and fifth places at the Welsh UDO competition in Newport.

Television viewers will be able to see a recording of the Royal Variety Performance on Wednesday 17th December at 7:30pm on BBC1.