26.02.2024
3 min read
International dance and street arts festival Now Northwich returns on Saturday 27th April for its fourth iteration, bringing to the town of Northwich yet another free full day and night of outdoor arts shows and participatory experiences for every member of the family. With previous events drawing in audiences of over 25,000 people, producers Cheshire Dance are asking residents aged 18+ to step forward and volunteer to make this year’s festival another success.
Now Northwich is a large scale event that provides a unique opportunity for the local community and arts lovers from further afield to experience high quality performances for free, with the chance to immerse themselves in a number of additional participatory activities. This year, shows will take place at a variety of sites across the town centre and Barons Quay with international, national and regional companies bringing everything from high energy hip hop to martial arts-infused dance, intricate acrobatics, aerial circus and more to the streets of Northwich.
With yet another ambitious line-up programmed for the day, Cheshire Dance is calling for support from local people to join their team as volunteers for the event. The requirements are straightforward; volunteers must be aged 18 or over, be available for either part of the day or the whole day on 27th April with shifts being allocated between 10am and 10pm, and be able to attend a briefing in the run up to the festival. Different roles are available to choose from and include street ambassadors, evaluators, artists runners and production and arts and crafts helpers to work alongside the main festival team.
Adam Holloway, Director of Cheshire Dance explains: “As a volunteer, you are key to a successful event by being an ambassador for the town and helping visitors to the festival to enjoy both the programme and Northwich itself. You will be our eyes and ears on the ground and will support the Cheshire Dance team to ensure all attendees have the absolute best experience. Not only will you get to see the festival from the inside, but you will make a difference to your community, will meet new people and will certainly have fun.”
Cheshire West and Chester and Northwich Town Councillor, Sam Naylor, continues: “This really is a fantastic opportunity to get behind the scenes of one of our most popular events and really get involved in doing something great for our community. It’s an experience that I highly recommend.”
Aside from volunteering on the day of the event, those that wish to play a bigger part in the festival are encouraged to sign up to the community casting call for dancers for a special ‘Dance Opera’ that is being created for the festival by Company Carpi.
Community dancers of all ages, backgrounds and levels are invited to join a professional cast of dancers, opera singers and orchestral musicians to make a show that will be performed at The Plaza on Witton Street for Now Northwich 2024. The deadline to sign up to the casting call closes on Sunday 10th March with the only requirement being to attend a set of rehearsal dates.
Adam Holloway continues: “Whether you want to deepen your experience of Now Northwich by volunteering with us or taking part in the Dance Opera with Company Carpi – or whether you come along to Now Northwich on 27th April to soak up the atmosphere – there’s going to be so much to see and do for everyone. A festival without barriers, Now Northwich prides itself on welcoming everyone, particularly those who identify through a Protected Characteristic, to the event and for 2024 we want to ensure festival-goers have the best experience possible.”
To volunteer for Now Northwich 2024, to take part in the community dance-opera or find out about how Cheshire Dance continues to break down barriers to make the festival more accessible to more people, please contact: nownorthwich@cheshiredance.org.
Now Northwich is brought to the community thanks to support from Arts Council England through a National Lottery Project Grant and is also part funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund administered by Cheshire West and Chester Council.
Now Northwich is produced by Cheshire Dance in collaboration with and additional investment from Northwich Town Council, Northwich BID, Charcoalblue and Members Budgets. Now Northwich is a partner in Without Walls, a network of organisations bringing innovative outdoor arts to towns and cities across England.
The full programme and timings for Now Northwich 2024 will be available shortly at www.nownorthwich.co.uk. In the meantime, follow Now Northwich on Facebook for sneak previews and news.
