Station:
BBC Two (GB)
Status:
Ended
Start:
2017-01-10
Rating:
0/10 from 0 users
The people of Barnsley, Huddersfield, Skipton and York have put their best feet forward for a brand new documentary series on BBC Two, Our Dancing Town.Choreographer Steve Elias has a dream to bring dance to the streets of four Yorkshire towns, in a series of spectacles inspired by the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony.Built like a rugby prop forward, Steve Elias does not look like your typical choreographer. But with a career spanning 25 years, including roles in everything from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to Billy Elliot, he is definitely the man for the job.Steve wants to get everyone, from gifted amateurs to complete novices, up and moving. Steve says: "My mission is get the people of Yorkshire on their dancing feet. I genuinely believe dance can change lives. I want people to tell their stories and show us what makes them and their town special. When it comes to ability, we aren't looking for perfection - the choreography is all about scale and impact. This really is dancing in the street - professionally choreographed and captured in one continuous and awe-inspiring shot."In each of the first three episodes, Steve will head to a town in Yorkshire - Barnsley, Huddersfield and Skipton - where his task will be to persuade, cajole and mentor local residents. He works hard to get under the skin of each place, learning about its heritage, and striving to find its unique identity. In the final two programmes Steve brings all three towns together and attempts to pull off one, final dance spectacular in the historic city of York as he celebrates the whole of Yorkshire.
TV Show Ended.
S1E3 - Huddersfield
Steve is heading to Huddersfield, where he discovers how the market town's world-class textile industry brought not just wealth and renown, but a diverse mix of cultures and dance traditions.
His efforts to rally the biggest town he's visited yet get off to a promising start, and locals embraces Steve's attempts to fill the gap left by the recently cancelled carnival. But the ever-growing scale and numbers of dancers bring their own set of challenges. Steve battles the elements, does his best to win over mill workers and gets more than he bargained for at a visit to Sikh sword dancers, as he attempts to pull off his biggest dance parade to date.
Can he corral hundreds on to the streets of Huddersfield in celebration of their home town and successfully capture their dance in one continuous, unedited shot?
Air Date: 24 Jan 2017 13:00 (CDT)
S1E4 - The Grand Finale Part I
He's pulled off street performances involving hundreds of enthusiastic amateurs, as well as many who'd never danced before, in Barnsley, Skipton and Huddersfield. Now choreographer Steve Elias wants to bring all three towns together for one breathtaking dance finale.
He's chosen York as the stunning backdrop for the performance. In episode four he visits the ancient city to recruit the huge numbers he needs to bring his vision of a mass dance event to life.
But can he persuade York's reluctant residents and iconic institutions to come on board, in the wake of the terrible floods which hit the city a year ago? And can he get Barnsley back on side to achieve the scale he wants for the biggest performance of his career?
Air Date: 31 Jan 2017 13:00 (CDT)
S1E5 - The Grand Finale Part II
Having pulled off street performances in Barnsley, Skipton and Huddersfield, involving hundreds of enthusiastic amateurs, as well as well as many who had never danced before, Steve now wants to bring all three towns together in one last breathtaking dance finale. He has chosen York as the stunning backdrop for his ambitious vision.
In this concluding episode, still worried he won't achieve the scale he needs, Steve goes on one last recruitment drive in York, before returning to Huddersfield and Skipton, and keeping a close eye on a struggling soloist in Barnsley. With just two weeks to go, can he corral hundreds of volunteers from across the county and pull off the biggest performance of his career? If all goes to plan, Steve will achieve an astonishing feat - three towns and one city will take to the streets and dance in a carefully choreographed parade, all captured in one continuous, unedited shot, that showcases the very best of Yorkshire, in all its pride, beauty, diversity and grandeur.
Air Date: 07 Feb 2017 13:00 (CDT)