A PIONEERING youth dance project inspired by the historic links between Cornwall and Brittany is set to culminate in a special contemporary dance premiere in Liskeard.

CreativeLooe’s Dancing Borders Away project will present its production, onYon, at Liskeard Public Hall on Wednesday, September 23, at 7.30pm.

The performance takes inspiration from the historic “Pink Onion Johnnies” and the traditional maritime trading links between Brittany and Cornwall. It also forms part of celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of Looe’s twinning with Quiberon.

Ten young dancers aged between 13 and 17 from Looe and Liskeard were selected following competitive auditions in July.

They have spent the summer working alongside a team of professional artists and mentors, led by Venezuelan choreographer Gocha (Maria Mendible), who worked for many years with internationally renowned DRAMO.

The project is being delivered in collaboration with CreativeLooe director Luisa Gonzalez and has brought together a range of experienced creative professionals.

They include dance history icon Julie Felix MBE, Rachel Bond of Bond Dance Company, Southwest Artist Project founders Hannah Dilworth and Izzy Gillespie, and Shockout Arts alumna Jemima Holtan.

Local support has also come from Sheila Brock, director of Sheila’s School of Dancing, and Sam Day, head of performance at Looe Community Academy.

Costume design and workshops have been guided by designer Elaine Foster-Gandey, whose industry career has included working with Vivienne Westwood, Jasper Conran, Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell.

The production will also feature an original live-looped score composed and performed on stage by multi-instrumentalist Arlo Anwin.

Dancing Borders Away was created to tackle the geographical and financial barriers faced by young people in coastal communities by bringing professional arts training directly to the region.

Luisa Gonzalez said the young performers were now ready to showcase the results of their summer of workshops.

Tickets for onYon are available through the events section on the CreativeLooe website.