Dance of every description – the Merge Dance Festival at the Bike Shed Theatre, Exeter

Dance festival: The Merge Dance Festival is a week-long celebration of all types and styles of dance

The Bike Shed Theatre and Shift Focus Productions have come together for The Merge Dance Festival – a week-long celebration of dance at its most diverse – including contemporary, break dance, Latin social, Merge Youth, World, Lindy-Hop, film, dance film, live performance, live music along with classes and workshops.

The Merge Dance Festival takes place at the Bike Shed Theatre from Monday, November 29 to Sunday, December 5.

Vida Zoe Harrison, of Shift Focus Productions, told ArtsCulture: “I moved to Devon, after training and working in London, two years ago. I started to make my own work using film but realised there was nowhere for me to show the pieces locally.

“So when the Bike Shed Theatre offered me a night a the venue I decided to make my own event, which is where Merge began. The first and second Merge were successful and the audience were varied from dancers to complete novices but the response was positive.

“The nights were based on short dance pieces from any style and medium. Merge Dance Festival was in response to feeling that there wasn’t enough time to really represent and demonstrate the wide range of dance artists and dance styles in the West Country.

“We have a wealth of professional and passionate dance artists performing and teaching and I want to be able to give them as many opportunities as possible.”

• For more details pop over to the Bike Shed Theatre site

(image: photograph from Merge 2 by Alice Deuchar)