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Six dance styles in ninety minutes – it can only be Speed Dancing, the action-packed interactive launch of the Body Festival, which kicks off on 24 September in Cathedral Square.

You may find the dance of your dreams, but the pace doesn’t let up for another two weeks with performances, workshops, dance documentaries and a stunning exhibition of dance images.

Festival director Adam Hayward believes this year’s programme “is another step forward for the festival as we continue to grow and service the high demand from our community for performance and participation of the highest calibre”.

Christchurch’s highly acclaimed Southern Lights Dance Company, contemporary tango company Lado Ciego from Argentina and many of New Zealand’s finest dance and physical theatre performers, including ‘Atamira Dance Company’ and the ‘New Zealand School of Dance’ to name just two, will converge on Christchurch for the festival.

Running alongside the performance programme, over 50 community workshops cover a huge variety of dance styles. Every year Christchurch’s residents embrace the chance to ‘spring into dance’ and get their winter-bound bodies moving in these have-a-go workshops.

Whether it’s urban dance or salsa, belly dance or wu tao, dancing is fun and it’s good for you too. The health benefits of dance are becoming more and more recognised and this is evidenced in the new partnership the festival is forging with The Heart Foundation for this year.

To wrap up an energetic 2010 programme, the Body Festival goes into overdrive with a huge ZUMBA® Party at the Christchurch Art Gallery on 10 October, celebrating the dance craze that is taking the world and Christchurch by storm.

Adam firmly believes that “no matter what your connection with dance you WILL find something in this year’s programme to excite you.  See you on the dance floor!”

Christchurch City Council is the Body Festival’s core funder and has helped the event to grow since the first Body Festival in 2002.

The Body Festival runs 24 September to 10 October. See wwwthebody.co.nz for full programme details or contact The Body on 03 366 7709.