This year’s Leicester Caribbean Carnival is set to be extra special for one set of students.
Students with additional needs from FTM Dance, a provider of performing arts respite care for children, young people, and adults, are excited to join in the festivities as the streets of Leicester come alive for the Carnival on Saturday 6 August. Plus there’s an extra exciting buzz in the air as this is the first live carnival since 2019 due to the pandemic.
The Leicester Caribbean Carnival provides a vibrant and fun-filled platform to showcase all that FTM students are capable of, regardless of their ability.
The 2022 carnival theme: Our Culture, Our Roots is perfectly aligned with FTM Dance’s work this year, which has been all about exploring different countries and cultures. The students’ participation in the carnival troop will be followed by a dedicated performance on the Main Stage, which promises to immerse the audience in FTM Dance’s theme of ‘Crossing Oceans’ with a wealth of fun and dazzling costumes and traditional dances.
Leanne Evans, FTM Dance Founder and Director, said: “After two years away, we’re so excited to be back at Leicester’s carnival. We recently hosted our Regional Carnival Warm-up event where we wanted to get the community into the carnival spirit and give our young people the opportunity to perform in their costumes. The event was a huge success with over 150 people in attendance who enjoyed live performances, our King, Queen and Princess costume reveal, a group dance-off and workshops, as well as some delightful Caribbean food and drink. It is our mission to show that it is possible for people of all abilities to express themselves and have fun together in the community – and Leicester’s famous carnival is a great way to present the wonderful things that our students are capable of. Importantly, events like this give FTM students the chance to experience new environments, try something new and meet different people – all while doing something they thoroughly enjoy.”
This year’s carnival on Saturday 6th August will commence with a spectacular street parade, featuring colourful costumes, stunningly decorated floats and invigorating music from costumed bands guaranteed to get you dancing. Following the parade, Victoria Park will play host to live entertainment on the main stages at Carnival Village, featuring the wonderful, costumed bands, parade troops and other artists from Leicester and beyond. Visitors can also enjoy taking part in games, a children’s fun fair and sample a tantalisingly tempting array of food stalls representing many countries from around the world.
For more information, please visit: FTM Dance – Performing Arts Respite Service.
