Barrowland Ballet & Macroberts Arts Centre present Poggle – a dance theatre piece for children

**CATS Award nominee 2015: Best Music and Children’s Shows
A funny, intimate and delightful dance theatre piece which takes young children on a visual and musical journey of discovery
For children aged 6 month – 4 years

Scottish Tour: 4 May – 4 June 2016

“This production goes a wonderfully imaginative extra mile in its mix of bouncy dance theatre, cunningly versatile design, live music and audience participation.” **** The Herald

Featuring rhythmical text, this interactive performance envelopes children in an imaginatively changing world. They can enjoy the visual, physical and musical energy of the show, identify with the emotions of the characters and even explore the set at the end. The performance is inspired by  Barrowland Ballet Artistic Director Natasha Gilmore’s personal experiences with her own children in terms of what they find funny and how they behave and move.

Poggle is the story of Vince. He wants to explore the forest, but is too scared to go on his own until he meets Poggle, a friendly creature, who takes him on an adventure where he discovers the forest and the magical musical tree. With live music, clapping rhythms and bubble popping throughout, children will enjoy a sense of discovery and accomplishment throughout this show as they interact with the characters.

Natasha Gilmore, Barrowland Ballet, Artistic Director of Barrowland Ballet and director of Poggle, said: “Poggle was inspired by my young children as I watched the way they explored and played in the world around them. The joy of discovery and accomplishment when new skills are found and obstacles overcome and the wonderment children find in the simplest things, like mud.”

Barrowland Ballet is one of Scotland’s most exciting and successful contemporary dance companies and is based in the East End of Glasgow. The company name reflects its unique mix of popular culture and high art. Its name, taken from Glasgow’s famous Ballroom, also shares its belief that dance is for everybody. The company repertoire is built around the artistic work of choreographer, Natasha Gilmore. The work is inspired by her personal experiences and its challenging themes are delivered with wit and humour. The insightful observations of human behaviour and relationships enable audiences to identify with the stories in a multitude of ways, as they resonate with their own experiences. Recent productions, Tiger and Tiger Tale (7+) have toured to great success with Tiger Tale performing at Imaginate and both Tiger and Tiger Tale were part of the Made in Scotland showcase 2014 and toured internationally in 2015. Barrowland Ballet believes dance theatre should be available for everyone and creates professional productions and participatory projects for and with a variety of people. The most recent work was The River, a Festival 2014 event which took place along the banks of the Clyde with a 150 strong cast of dancers, singers and musicians.

Macrobert arts centre is the arts centre for Stirling and the Forth Valley and a cultural hub for Scotland. With a vision to promote and develop participation in and enjoyment of the arts macrobert offers a huge variety of activities with over 400 live performances – drama, comedy, opera, dance, music, musical theatre and art exhibitions – alongside a varied Creative Learning programme throughout the year.The venue is also a producer, co-producer and instigator of new work for young audiences. www.macrobert.org

Twitter: @barrowlballet | #poggle | www.barrowlandballet.co.uk | www.facebook.com/Barrowland-Ballet-112636408818824/

Age guidance: 6 months – 4 year olds | Running time: 30 minutes plus playtime at the end

Touring dates 

Wed 4 May

Paisley Arts Centre, Witherspoon St, Paisley PA1 1UR

11am & 2pm

£3

0300 3001210

www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/onlinebooking