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Dreams & Nightmares - RACA Youth Arts Festival live shows
Wakefield Theatre Royal, 31 Jan 2006  & The Carriageworks Theatre, 6 and 7 February 2006

I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, it was entertaining and thought-provoking and full of surprises. I loved the variety of work and it was great to have the connections between the exhibition and the performances.
For three nights RACA participants lit up the stages of Wakefield Theatre Royal and the Carriageworks Theatre, Leeds. Each night was a spectacular mix of live dance, music, theatre and multi-media projections.
Dancers image from live show at Wakefield Theatre Royal

The performance at the Carriage Works was stunning – energy, enthusiasm, teenage angst – how on earth did those dancers do it!
Dance was at the centre of the performances with hot street-dance and break-dance rubbing shoulders with exhilarating contemporary moves.
Dancers image from live show at Wakefield Theatre Royal

The dance pieces show how young people can be developed to use their bodies both actively and creatively.
In terms of related media production, there is evidently scope for some really dynamic project work that can involve youngsters across a whole range of skill development.
Silent movie image from gallery exhibition The Curse of Phantom Island, the ‘silent movie in the coffin’ from Leeds City Art Gallery got a special screening, together with a soundtrack performed live by RACA participants.

Personal highlight for me: The silent movie - all the more special for having live musical accompaniment.

Live music also featured heavily with several performances of newly composed works, all performed with energy and enthusiasm by RACA musicians at the top of their game.
Dancers image from live show at Wakefield Theatre Royal

The stage overflowed with several noise making devices, not all familiar percussion instruments.
Theatre was well represented too, with new ‘shorts’ The Dastardly Lover, Swag and Inside the Nightmare all receiving their debut performances to enthusiastic acclaim.
It was really enjoyable – I just loved the primary children’s ‘silent movie’
Dancers image from live show at Wakefield Theatre Royal All in all an excited audience of over 700 enjoyed the performances, giving rapturous applause to the 150 actors, musicians and dancers. It would have been difficult to imagine a more fitting climax to three years of the RACA project. Thanks are due to all the young people, school staff, college staff, artists and technicians who made this possible.

Really inspiring and so wonderful to see talent and commitment from young people with a sense of the artist in them.
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