Stockton-on-Twinkle Toes!

In the early 1960s the age of the dance hall came to an end to be replaced by the thudding bass of the nightclub or the occasional dad dance at a family disco. Despite our recent obsession with shows like Strictly Come Dancing and So You Think You Can Dance as a nation our dancing shoes seem to be tied in knots. We can no longer just go dancing and our moves are restricted to the dance studio. Mind you some routines are best kept in the living room! Stockton-on-Tees is a classic example of the death of dancing as a community. By the 1970s all three of the market town’s dance halls were closed. The leader and choreographer of Britain’s Got Talent winners Diversity, Ashley Banjo has other ideas. In the wake of the recession Ashley has took on the mission to inject community spirit back intoStocktonby getting the whole town involved inBritain’s biggest street performance. In just two months he had to recruit and train more than 5,000 residents before filling Britain’s widest high street with popping and locking. The first of six shows aired on Wednesday 8^th January on Sky 1 and followed the story of the formation of Ashley’s first crew taken from Stockton’s Public Services. Since then we have witnessed the formation of dance troupes from the leisure and entertainment, business and education sectors. Time is running out though and here at Dancewear Central we look forward to tuning in for the spectacular finale- can Ashley pull off his mission? Alongside the show Ashley is also attempting to put together the first digital dance crew. Everyone is encouraged to get involved, just visit the Digital Dance Crew website to watch a breakdown of Ashley’s move, add your own individual flair then send in your videos. This is a great initiative to get the nation boogying and Ashley Banjo Needs You!