DanceLive is Scotland’s only festival of contemporary dance, taking place across Aberdeen and Shire and featuring companies from around Europe, there’s a varied programme of events, performances and film screenings on offer.  Browse the programme here then check out the festival’s website for ticket details.

You can’t have failed to notice it’s almost youth festival time again.  As per usual there’s so much going on, that to list it all here would break the internet.

So, here’s the official AIYF listings site,

Their Twitter,

and their Facebook Page

There you go.  All bases covered.  If we come across something truly fantastic however, we’ll be sure to give you a shout.  Meanwhile, the Festival Parade on Saturday 31 July (11am, Union Street) is usually a good place to start…

Not too long ago a shudder of positive excitement ran through the cultural community of Aberdeen when the PVA proposed new arts centre was, remarkably, given approval by the local authority in a move that took many by surprise.   Understandably this quickly led to a feeling of optimism across the sector and, with seemingly brighter days ahead, we all thought and acted accordingly; new art projects and businesses came to the fore, young artists decided to stay in Aberdeen, dance and theatre improved their visibility and music promoters, buoyed by the idea of a new venue for live music, became excited by the acts that could be brought to this part of the country.

As promptly as our optimism arrived it all but left.   A disappointing reversion to type by the local authority led (again) to stalemate around a large and progressive capital project.  Indeed, one could be forgiven for suggesting this condition is ingrained and historically ritualistic within the authority at this end of the country.  The cultural sector’s hopes were stalled.

Moving forward a year or so and we view a cultural landscape that appears to be defying our justified concerns.  A mass exodus, or hibernation, of disillusioned creative talent has not taken place (as one could rightfully have expected) but rather we find ourselves in a steady period of growth.  A period that sees the arts sector build, albeit under a corporate shadow, momentum toward realising the vision of becoming a significant and worthy contributor to the national and international art world.

Like a music scene, an arts sector does not filter up and out through just one channel or venue, and nor should it.  No one place, project or concept can lay claim to making things better, a collective sensibility that takes strength from within does that job, and that’s the juncture we’re at right now.

The proposal by Peacock Visual Arts to build an outstanding, and much desired, centre for contemporary arts and culture certainly played a vital and healthy role in galvanising the sector into believing itself worthy and we must do everything possible to ensure this building, or an appropriate equivalent, happens.   Aberdeen needs a hub that will encourage a sense of infrastructure and ‘the new centre’ is the likely candidate for this role.   The thought that we may be deprived of this idea/ideal through the whim of a businessman’s ill-placed concept has developed a fighting spirit in the arts resulting in what I see as a progressive, and somewhat ironic given the circumstances, growth of the sector.  One could suggest that there is a large subconscious ‘f**k you’ being aimed up and out at the business world.

There is much work to be done but I can attest to the aforementioned progress, and take heart from my email activity that on a daily, often hourly, basis accepts invites to numerous art openings, notifications of networking events and workshops, marketing for dance, theatre events and gigs, numerous blogs that can be read and digested at leisure and e-promotion of a new arts-based business or space starting out on a new and precarious venture.

Historically art has spurts of growth and change, at a conceptual and physical level, when it circles the wagons and rallies toward or away from a specific purpose, thus we find ourselves in the midst of our own geographical cultural revolt.

Regardless of Union Terrace Gardens, and the broader outcome of the campaign, Aberdeen is absolutely more than capable of maintaining a momentum of growth across the arts and cultural sector in order to attain deserved recognition of its talent..

The questions to be asked are:

Will the desire and energy remain in place if the carpet is seen to be pulled from beneath by the hands of the self-titled ‘City Fathers’?

Can (with or without the proposed new art centre) the Aberdeen creative sector believe enough in itself to rise above this and become a recognised city of cultural vibrancy and excellence?

Or is this is one ask too far?

The 4th DanceLive! Festival is underway with nine companies (including Scottish Ballet) presenting the very best in contemporary dance.  A huge range of performances, workshops and classes are taking place at various venues in Aberdeen (and the Woodend Barn in Banchory) with full listings and booking information available on the DanceLive website