Young talent from across the county gather for this year’s ShowFest event at Mansfield Palace Theatre

Young talent from across the county gather for this year’s ShowFest event at Mansfield Palace Theatre

Featuring award-winning choreography, alternative rock bands, home-grown singer-songwriters and a street dance crew collaborating with local animation artists!

The stage is all set and final rehearsals are well underway for this year’s ShowFest19 event at the Mansfield Palace Theatre. This week, on Thursday 21 and Friday 22 February, over 400 talented young people from across the county will take to the stage in this spectacular collection of dance, music and film.

ShowFest is the Inspire Youth Arts’ (IYA) annual premier performance and is one of the most successful and high impact events for young people, highlighting the best of Nottinghamshire’s young artists. 

A few highlights to watch out for;

Genetic Hype is a street dance crew who will present a commissioned piece which explores the interplay between sound, movement, and graphics through interaction with a projected piece made in collaboration with Nottinghamshire animation artist Allan Buxton.

Jess Fisher, a member of the acclaimed Able Orchestra, will perform a solo piece using a wheelchair motion controller which is hooked up to specially developed software by Si Tew, which enables her to create music via iPad and laptop. She’s performed alongside world-renowned beatboxer THePETEBOX at the Hockley Hustle event at Nottingham Contemporary.

Remy combines excellent melodies with songwriting that is entirely personal. Remy won 2018 Notts Factor and performed at the 2018 BBC Introducing gig at the Rescue Rooms.

SANDance are an inclusive dance group based in Worksop, who have devised a piece called NOVA and is inspired by our exploration of space.

Emily Makis bends genres, fusing Soul, Jazz and Pop in her electronic live set. She blends vocal effects and relatable lyrics into a soundscape inspired by her Eastern-Mediterranean heritage, with her voice being described as ‘Enthralling, heavenly and emotive’ by DJ Mag. Emily performed as part of the 2018 BBC Introducing gigs at the Rescue Rooms.

Xzibit Young Creatives is an award winning choreographic and talent development project for aspiring young choreographers and dancers. The work at this year’s ShowFest has been created by the 2019 young creatives over an intensive 3-day rehearsal period. Xzibit Young Creatives is a Gareth Woodward project, supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, co-produced by Inspire Youth Arts and supported by Dance4, The Curve, The Core at Corby Cube, Nottingham Lakeside Arts and ArtsNK.

Expect everything from hip hop to rock and pop, street dance to contemporary dance, film, and drama and rock bands to stunning solos. Tickets cost £3 (£2 concessions) and are available online through the Mansfield Palace website at www.mansfieldpalace.co.uk or call the Box Office on 01623 633 133

Check out the video below to see last year's highlights...