Penrith Town Centre will be swinging to a brand new rhythm in July when it plays host to a spectacular free Dance Festival, Dance Daze.

This new day long festival offers the very best in contemporary and street dance and promises to have everyone’s toes tapping. Whether you’re a dance aficionado or have yet to experience the exhilaration of watching live dance close up, this is a rare opportunity to see many internationally acclaimed dance acts in one place at one time – and all for free. But be warned, the energy of performances you witness may leave you in a daze for days!

Acts already confirmed in the impressive line up include Srishti with a football inspired dance, Stopgap who present a funky mix of 70’s kitsch, cluedo and vintage Britishness to a soundtrack from up and coming Brighton bands, Liz Lea and Marc Brew.

Teen sensations, Balletboyz II will be performing Laws of Motion, a thrilling, pulsating and fluid male quartet that pushes its dancers to their physical limits.

Also performing are the colourful Northern Belly Company who delight audiences all over the North West with their warm and accessible dances. Using music from all over the Middle East they will have you shimmying too in no time. Come and watch or if you’re felling the beat, join in the fun!

Another highlight will undoubtedly be Punchdrunk, with a quirky dance theatre work in which three characters create a world made from straw. Punchdrunk is an award-winning theatre company, whose work is usually presented on an epic scale, staged inside vast, empty buildings transformed into the world of the performance. This is a rare chance to see Punchdrunk’s unique physical performance style released from the shadowy confines of installation theatre, in an occasional piece made for daylight and the great outdoors.

‘Punchdrunk put the wonder back into theatre’ – The Guardian