UNITY FESTIVAL
Various venues, Cardiff
Wed 12-Sat 22 June
Now in its sixth year, Unity Festival is one of Europe’s largest inclusive arts festivals. Founded by Hijinx Theatre, and based on the ethos of working inclusively, the festival continues to showcase dance, theatre, puppetry, comedy and musical performance,showcasing professional and community programmes, whilst also reflecting the diverse society in which we live.
This year’s programme from Hijinx Theatre will see dance, theatre, comedy, music and a puppet the size of a double decker bus. This intriguing mix of artistic performance will take place at various venues, including the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay, and Sherman Cymru in Cathays. Highlights from the two-week programme include a high-energy flamenco performance from Sevillano dance company Cia José Galán, jaw-dropping acrobatics from French company Cirque Inextremiste, contemporary dance from multi award-winning Candoco Dance Company, and Hijinx Theatre’s own touring show The Adventures Of Sancho Panza.
A spectacular appearance from Graeae’s The Iron Man – a puppet the size of a double decker bus – forms part of the family weekend, and following on from last year’s success, there will also be an assortment of free family-oriented entertainment from Sat 15-Sun 16 June. Other highlights over the weekend include Flight Theatre Company’s performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bicycle Ballet, and an intriguing assortment of enormous mystery boxes that will magically burst into life.
For Ben Pettitt-Wade, Unity Festival director, the festival will continue from the success of the Paralympic Games in 2012. “The legacy of a fantastic Paralympic Games has given the UK inclusive arts scene a huge boost.” He also added that “the inclusive nature of the festival will encourage anyone, no matter what their experience of the arts, to engage with the joys of performance.” Tickets: events priced separately. Info: 029 2063 6464 / www.hijinx.org.uk/unity RHIANON HOLLEY