International Dance Day event in town centre

A series of events to mark International Dance Day has begun in a West Sussex town centre. Dance performances and workshops have been taking place in Crawley town centre and at local shopping malls. The event is the second of its kind to be held in the town, with more than 15 dance schools involved this year. The project is co-run by Dance Hub Community Interest Company (CIC), Crawley Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID) as well as local cultural partners and Crawley Borough Council. Organiser Jade Hand from Dance Hub said: "We're trying to get everyday people involved in the arts through participation and spectatorship. "This year, compared to last, we've almost tripled the number of dance schools involved and have around 15 this year all based in Crawley." She added that the Dance Hub's aim was to use dance to develop communities and a larger dance festival has been planned for 2025. Events included performances from South Asian, line-dancing and street dance groups.In a statement, Crawley Town Centre BID said it was " delighted to support Dance Hub CIC in association with the Cultural Quarter Pop-up Programme to bring International Dance Day to Crawley Town Centre". It added: "These two days are designed to share the enjoyment and culture of international dance!" Events run across the day on Saturday and on Monday.