Dance dates for your diary!

Three big events coming soon:

In March, join the Dance Movement at Olympia, where Move It will once again be moving its collective feet to occupy it over the weekend 7-9 March. Dancing royalty appearing include Darcey Buseell, Sisco Gomez and The Waacktitioners.

The Interview Sofa is back, along with live performances and dance classes. New for this year is a sister show happening alongside Move It, for aspiring and professional performers interested in acting, singing and performance. PERFORM is a must if you're looking for a career in the performing arts industry. Entry is free with all full price tickets to Move It.

Find out more above Move It here and Perform here.

The UK Hip Hop Dance Championships take place in The Great Hall, 327 Mile End Road, London (an old haunt of mine, no less - probably get lost now) on Saturday, April 5th. Prelims at 3pm; Finals 7.30pm - not an awful lot of other info on the website - and the ticket site showed as as a bit dodgy, so take care on that.

A Sadler's Wells project, the Breakin' Convention kicks off its festival dates at the London theatre on Saturday, May 3rd through to the 5th. A full list of other dates and further info can be found here.

And finally, fancy a holiday but can't afford/don't have time for a two week break? Remember those soul weekenders we used to love? They've evolved - try the Summer Salsa Weekender! It's being held at the Wigana Casa de la Musica - that's the Britannia Wigan Hotel to you 'n' me - on 4th to 6th July (that's got to beat freezing on the Norfolk coast in April and October, yes?) with over 50 hours of Latin loveliness. Full details and booking links can be found here.

Move It 2012

The UK's biggest dance exhibition/festival, Move It, the show for dancers, teachers, students and enthusiasts, will be held at Olympia from March 9th to 11th.

With 20,000 dancers taking part over three days across three stages, this amazing spectacle has performances from Flawless and the English National Ballet - together, fusing streetdance and ballet; Got To Dance's Akai, Alleviate and Chris & Wes; Britain's Got Talent stars James Hobley and Twist & Pulse and many more, including performances from the best performing arts colleges and streetdance crews.

The Big Dance Interview Sofa returns, with ex-Strictly Come Dancing champions Darren Bennett (with Jill "The Halfpenny", Series 2) and Lilia Kopylova (Darren Gough, Series 3) guests at 12.30pm on the Sunday.

There's a Dance Teachers' Convention, as well as the chance to grab a bargain in the leg warmer department and take part in a variety of different classes, so check out the website today to book your tickets.

Move It 2011 Showcases New Dance Moves!

The Move It Exhibition comes to Olympia on March 10th to 13th, showcasing the latest fitness dance trends to get you moving to the groove! Among those being featured are:

Indie Ballet: This shock new ballet style is all about the music - classic ballet pirouettes, pique and twirls blended with rocky indie tunes to make a totally unique style of dance, movement and entertainment. Professional dancers and public alike will be merging jaw-dropping splits to music from the likes of Razorlight, The Futureheads, Franz Ferdinand, and Gomez.

Waacking: Originating from the US, the Waacking phenomenon will be sweeping our nation due to its cool new funk style. Inspired by Madonna’s ‘Vogueing’, this underground street dance movement is much faster and packs even more attitude, style and passion.

Heyday Dance: Rewind the clock - 1920’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s – the choice is yours. End of war celebrations were the heydays, now this retro dance style is destined to be the top trend for next year. Heavily Influenced by vintage fashion, think old skool dance halls, flappers, tea dances and Fred Astaire, it’s a classic with a twist for 2011.

Iconic 1980s: The Flashdance era is back! Big hair, loud clothes, leg warmers and dramatic movements form the basis of this iconic 80’s dance movement.

Cheerleading: Give me a M, O, V, E I, T !! Cheerleading? Bring It On! With Glee hitting our screens to mass popularity and recent visits from the amazing NFL and NBA dance troupes, American cheering will be infiltrating dance studios across the country.

Creative Director, George Harper commented “The top trends this year really reflect the fact that people want to have fun and inject their workout with a new twist. If it is ballet, add a new soundtrack. Aerobics? Add an 80’s dance twist. Also people love dressing up so the vintage styles like Charleston and Lindy Hop really allow you to work a look while you workout. Cheerleading is my biggest tip – this is already a massive scene in the UK that few people know about. It will be THE craze in 2011 and it’s not just for girls – boys are getting in on the action too!”

Check out MOVE IT to see some of these new dance crazes in action – you can even test out your own skills at their taster session classes. With live performances, dance classes, top exhibitors, freestyle stages, competitions, masterclasses, auditions and interviews there’s something for everyone at this year’s show. Whether it’s ballroom, ballet, hip hop or cha cha – MOVE IT offers you the chance to create your ideal day of dance. Perfect for beginners or professionals, students, fitness enthusiasts or just simply for an awe inspiring day out, MOVE IT is the only show for all things dance!

To purchase tickets, book classes or for more information, visit http://www.moveitdance.co.uk/

Snippets: Daniel Radcliffe; George Sampson; Got To Dance, Move It

Harry Potter star, Daniel Radcliffe, will be appearing on Broadway in How To Succeed in Business - and is having dance lessons! From the clip I saw on the 'Making Of' documentary yesterday, he's not kidding about the shuffling! (Hoping to see Deathly Hallows next week!)

George Sampson is writing a book, his life story apparently. He's what, 16? 17? But Britain's Got Talent, Streetdance 3D, Waterloo Road - I guess he has packed a fair bit in already!

Got To Dance is being brought to life in an Exhibition at Excel between 4th and 6th March, featuring classes, perfomances and shopping. This is followed by Move It, Upper Street Events dance exhbition at Olympia between 10th and 13th March, also with performances, classes, seminars and traders.