Grab your dancing shoes for choir’s Burns Night celebration

GRAB those dancing shoes and banish the winter blues with Vocal Explosion choir’s Burns Ceilidh at East Hastings Sea Angling Association on The Stade.

The event, in celebration of Burns Night, will take place on Friday, January 18, from 8pm to midnight, and the Hastings choir accompanied by Vocal Explosion singers from Brighton, Crawley, and Rye, will perform some rousing Celtic numbers.

There will be a live ceilidh band and caller so come prepared to dance the night away.

Crazy costumes are welcome, and there will be a prize awarded to the guest with the best fancy dress.

Tickets are selling fast for the event at £7.50 (£5 concessions), and are available from Hastings Information Centre (01424 451111), B&T Music, in Claremont, and The Roomz, in Western Road, St Leonards.

A limited number may be available on the door, but be sure to purchase in advance to avoid disappointment.

Vocal Explosion is a community choir, led by composer, musical director and singer Juliet Russell, which performs a wide range of world music, including traditional songs and original numbers.

The choir has previously supported renowned Senegalese musician, Nuru Kane, at Rye Creative Centre, participated in the singathon on The Stade to welcome the Boat Project last July, and performed at Bexhill’s Party in the Park in August.

Juliet composes, directs and sings for dance and theatre companies and her work has been used for television, film and radio.

Her music is emotive and multi-textured, with powerful harmonies that draw inspiration from Eastern Europe all the way to South Africa.

Her unique sound has been heard by tens of thousands of people across the world, and her compositions have been described as ‘blissed out a capella’ by The Independent.

She has also worked as musical director and composer for large-scale site-specific community performances, such as Brighton’s Burning of the Clocks.

All are welcome to join either the Hastings or Rye Vocal Explosion choirs.

For more information visit www.vocalexplosion.co.uk or www.facebook.com/vocalexplosionhastings, or follow @Vocal_Explosion on Twitter.