Arts Festival To Welcome Trio Of Performances At Historic Venue

The Parr's Bank is opening its vault doors for one of the highlights of this year's Warrington Contemporary Arts Festival (WCAF). The Grade II listed former Natwest is the venue for Parr de Trois - a trio of new contemporary dance performance pieces - taking place on Thursday, 18 November.

Not only will guests be able to experience work by some of Warrington's best emerging talent but also see first-hand the transformation of a remarkable building. The line-up includes Joseph Reay-Reid, who worked with Kanye West on the choreography for his latest album, Donda, dance artist Lauren Tucker and Sarah Bateman, a professional choreographer and Warrington dance teacher.

Sarah is hoping the event appeals to people who are unfamiliar with contemporary dance with an opportunity to experience something new in a unique venue, dating back to 1877.

The artist, who trained at London Contemporary Dance School before making a name for herself with Theatre St Gallen, Switzerland, performing roles in operas, musicals and original contemporary pieces, said: "It is a wonderful opportunity, not only for the choreographers but also for the people of Warrington. An evening of contemporary dance may be new to many people and the evening provides an outstanding occasion to showcase the genre.

"Too often people have to travel to the bigger cities to see this type of work. The festival is bringing contemporary dance and art to the people of Warrington to both entertain and captivate the audience and also to inspire the next generation of contemporary dancers in our town."

The performances also fit in with the theme of this year's WCAF which is all about bringing Warrington talent to the town's undiscovered spaces.

Sarah added: "I feel very privileged to be performing at The Parr's Bank with Joseph and Lauren. As a Warringtonian, I am proud that such an iconic building on our doorstep can facilitate the event. The venue is breath-taking and all of the pieces for Parr de Trois are new and have been designed around its uniqueness.

"As a dance artist, I really enjoy working in 'non-theatre' spaces. They instantly have the audience's attention, make me more adaptable as an artist and stimulate new ideas I wouldn't have had before."

Parr de Trois takes place at 8pm on Thursday, 18 November, at The Parr's Bank in Winwick Street. For tickets and to see the rest of the WCAF programme visit wcaf.culturewarrington.org/whats-on.

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