Young People from Chesterfield and Ukraine unite through dance at Chesterfield Children’s Festival
The Chesterfield Children’s Festival takes place on 18th and 19th July at Queen’s Park
An international dance collaboration between young people in Chesterfield and Ukraine will feature at this year’s Chesterfield Children’s Festival, offering a powerful insight into childhood experiences across two very different contexts.
Organisers Junction Arts are bringing Playground to the festival, a specially commissioned co-creative dance project developed in partnership with Chesterfield-based Sunflower Dance, Nottinghamshire choreographer Karla Jones, and the European Academic Lyceum in Lubny, Ukraine.
The project brings together dancers aged 5–10 from Sunflower Dance and young people aged 14–17 from the Ukrainian lyceum. Working collaboratively with choreographers and local children, participants have co-created a dance piece that explores themes of play, imagination, and everyday life.
The resulting two-minute performance will be presented by Sunflower Dance at the Chesterfield Children’s Festival on Saturday 18th July, with the Ukrainian dancers appearing via a pre-recorded video link.
The project was made possible with the support of Nadiia Ishchuk, a Ukrainian now living in Chesterfield, who acted as Cultural Liaison and Project Associate, helping to establish the partnership and facilitate communication between participants.
The Chesterfield Children’s Festival takes place on 18th and 19th July at Queen’s Park, Chesterfield. The two-day event includes live theatre, comedy, art workshops and a craft tent, plus a special early years programme for children aged 0-5 years. It is free to attend, with no booking required. For more information, visit www.junctionarts.org or follow on social media @junctionartsuk.