Dancin' Oxford 2007 was the city’s first major dance festival since the late ‘80s and took place as part of Oxfordshire 2007, a celebration of the county’s 1000 year history. It was co-ordinated by Claire Thompson, Oxford City Council’s Dance Officer and Co-ordinator of the Oxford Dance Forum. It was presented in partnership with Oxford Dance Forum, Oxford City Council, Oxford Playhouse and Pegasus Theatre. A key aim of the Festival was to raise the profile of dance in Oxford.
The Festival got off to an exhilarating start with its City Centre Launch at Oxford Castle, which set the scene for a participatory, engaging and inspiring city-wide celebration of dance.
Highlights of the Festival included performances by Ultima Vez, Motionhouse, Anjali Dance Company and other leading local, national and international companies. It saw the premiere of a piece specially commissioned by the Oxford Dance Forum and Pegasus Theatre involving Oxford-based professional dance artists, and the programme was bursting with performances by local community and youth dance groups including the Oxford Breakers and Crossover Intergenerational Dance Company.
There were also plenty of opportunities for people to take part. The Dance-A-Thon saw people from across Oxford, some completely new to dance, trying a range of styles over one jam-packed weekend of taster sessions – from Flamenco to Bollywood and Breakdance to Ballroom. People also filmed themselves creating their own choreography in the unique Move- Me Booth.
