Danson Festival 2007 -
30 June & 1 July

Arts Village

This year's Danson Festival will feature an all new Arts Village helping to create a bigger, better and more diverse Festival than ever before.

The entire area is created around the concept of building Bexley's own global culture village, with the public engaging in as little or as much as they like. Whilst one person might choose an action packed day getting involved with Ghanaian drumming in the morning, followed by a 1940's style Cabaret performance on the stage, swiftly moving on to a taster session in the art of DJ'ing and MC'ing, a quick dash to be dazzled by a breath taking acrobatic performance , a brisk stroll to soak in some Eastern European Gypsy Punk before eventually being swept away in a full carnival procession down to the main stage involving drummers, masks, flags and participants from many of the activities throughout the day.

Other visitors of a more sedate disposition may choose to watch the world go by enjoying a session of storytelling before relaxing with some food watching artists create willow and recycled sculptures before their very eyes.

Highlights of the weekend's programme are listed below (for detailed times, see the programme):

Arts Village Stage

No. 1 Station (Saturday)

No. 1 Station are the spearheads of the new-wave of Blue Beat, playing an authentic blend of Jamaican rhythms from old-time Ska through smooth Rocksteady to classic Reggae and Dub. The band have recently had records released on the original Blue Beat label and play to enthusiastic audiences both in the UK and abroad. This is a band that will definitely get you up on your dancing feet when you feel the heat of their cool dance beat. Come join the dance sensation that's rocking the nation, listen the sound of the No.1 Station!

The Destroyers (Sunday)

The Destroyers are a 15 piece group based in Birmingham, UK. A mix of recovering escapees from Birmingham's Conservatoire and musical firebrands from the Midlands, the band are a sight and sound to behold, a whirlwind of gypsy folk mayhem. They fuse Balkan sounds with ska, jazz, klezmer and Mariachi, all delivered with their own twist and unique brand of buffoonery.

Outdoor Performance

Bureau Of Silly ideas (Saturday & Sunday)
Two performances a day of "The Hole Job"

Road workers deviate from the norm by dancing, flying through the air, launching road cones into the sky and summoning a civil engineering superhero in a high flying, jaw dropping farce. This show is a must see for all the family.

Walkabout

Dragons Heart Beat (Saturday)
The dragon breathes smoke, hubcap body glinting - four impish armoured performers dart in and out of the audience grinning, grimacing, squabbling among themselves…stoking up a storm on their instruments before moving on carrying the crowd…another tune, then onwards for surprise electronic body percussion and the high energy musical finale… A smoke-breathing mobile hubcap dragon and four other-worldly performers bring this energetic and theatrical percussive show to the heart of outdoor audiences.

Paka (Sunday)
Paka and his horse *Paka* is a cantankerous old man lost in the twilight of obsession, having misplaced the thread between fantasy and reality he is off on his final adventure. A head full of romantic dreams and a pocket full of nuts and bolts. He is on a quest for love and sunsets to ride into. A contemporary Don Quixote armed with roses, pyrotechnic gadgets and a tantalising whiff of razzmatazz.

*The Horse (Rusty)* is visually extraordinary, a robot that acts as a people magnet. He can do all that a real horse does and more. He has his own distinct character, philosophy and ego. The audience are left feeling they have met an odd but real horse.

Interactive Zone

Drum Jam (Saturday and Sunday)
A community drum circle is a group of people coming together and playing various drums and percussion in various pitches to create a percussion melody and drum/rhythm song.

The spirit and magic of rhythm expressed on drums and percussion instruments cuts through all ages, sexes, religions, races and cultural boundaries. The quality of the music produced in an event like this is not based on the rhythmical expertise of the players, but on the quality of their relationship with the other people in the circle. An uplifting experience – not to be missed!

**Sponsors of the Arts Village 2007**