Huddersfield Our Dancing Town

MUSIC: Carnival Of The Animals, The Birds

In one British town, something special is happening.

On this calm summer's morning, hundreds are gathering...

..to take part in a one-off dance event that celebrates

their history and heritage...

We're here, in the 21st century, and we need to be put on the map.

..and tells the story of what makes them and their town unique.

I've been here a long time. In textiles, probably 50 years.

Helping to bring those stories to life is West End choreographer

Steve Elias.

-Let's dance!

-CHEERING

Dance can do so much.

It unites, it allows people to express themselves,

it celebrates, it entertains.

Dance, I believe, has the power to be life-changing.

After a 25-year career, with starring roles in hit shows like

Billy Elliot and Guys And Dolls, Steve is taking on a new challenge.

-Hiya. Do you dance?

-I certainly don't.

-No?

He's spending the summer in Yorkshire,

where he wants to get three very different towns dancing.

Right, left, step, hair. You got it!

Keep on going, guys, we'll never get there!

At the end of the summer,

Steve's master plan is to bring all three towns together in York

for one final extravaganza that celebrates the whole of the county.

Personally, I think he's raving bonkers.

This week, Steve's in Huddersfield.

-I will get you dancing.

-Nobody's managed it yet.

Ignore the rain!

As I thought, carnage!

Steve Elias is heading to Huddersfield,

a West Yorkshire town midway between Manchester and Leeds.

I don't know too much about it,

apart from the fact that it was an old mill town and also,

it's bigger than the other towns that I've visited so far.

I want to see hundreds of people snaking through the streets.

You know, local industries, local groups,

all the different dance styles coming together.

Huddersfield is Steve's biggest town yet.

With a population of 160,000, it has a culturally-diverse community.

I want to go bigger, I want to make this performance bigger,

but the moment that you go even bigger,

there are more things that can go wrong.

Huh! And my stomach's just turned, just thinking about it.

So far, Steve's enjoyed success in Barnsley...

CHEERING

It warms the cockles of this old man's heart.

..and Skipton, where almost 300 people took to the streets

in celebration of their home town.

CHEERING

It's Yorkshire pride at its best.

Those performances were inspired by London's Olympic opening ceremony,

where dancers and non-dancers alike

came together in a display of unity and national pride.

And now, Steve hopes to bring the same spectacular vision

to Huddersfield.

I want to use the stories of the people who I'll meet,

and choreograph something which is unique to them.

Something which tells their stories,

to celebrate the place where they live.

Here we go, Huddersfield.

What you notice the minute you get off the train is the grandeur.

This kind of mixture of Victorian and Georgian architecture.

I didn't expect anything like this. It's a readymade dance space.

It's just crying out to be performed on.

Um...and then you look there,

what a way to frame the dance piece in some way.

It's such a stunning train station and it's got this beautiful facade.

Built in 1850, Huddersfield's Grade I listed train station

was once described by poet John Betjeman

as the most splendid facade in England.

And here we've got an imposing statue of Harold Wilson,

who was born in Huddersfield.

Great man.

I just need now to get into the heart of the town, really,

and see what makes it tick.

Steve's arranged to meet local historian Cyril.

-So you must be Cyril.

-Hi, Steve.

-Nice to meet you.

Tell me, what is Huddersfield all about?

You can't talk about the history of Huddersfield without talking

about the textile industry and its mills,

and about the people who made it all.

Wool-textile working in the Pennines goes back to the late Middle Ages.

It really took off in Huddersfield in the latter part of the 19th,

early part of the 20th century.

And when that happened, everything else followed.

If you look at the population of Huddersfield,

at the beginning of the 19th century, it's a mere 8,000.

By the eve of the 1950s, it's a population of 130,000 to 140,000.

With generation after generation of families

working usually in the same mill.

And then, of course, by the late 1950s,

you start to see immigration from Pakistan and from India,

and, of course, at the same time, from the West Indies.

The Windrush generation and thereafter.

And they brought their own traditions.

The Caribbean community brought with them carnival.

And that's been going strong here in Huddersfield

for quite a number of years.

Due to funding cuts, this year's carnival won't take place.

Steve wants to ensure that the longstanding tradition

will feature strongly in his plan.

Just imagine the carnival filling the streets.

The atmosphere must be amazing.

And then you've got hundreds of people on the streets

also dancing, soaking up that atmosphere.

So that's what I want to do.

I want to kind of recreate that atmosphere again and just celebrate.

Right. What do you think of dancing?

-Dancing?

-Yeah.

-I love it.

-Love it?

-Do you have a signature move?

-It's literally just a two-step.

Brilliant! Show me the two-step.

Steve takes to the streets to see how much enthusiasm

Huddersfield has for dancing.

If I said to you, do you dance...?

At my wedding. I did at my wedding. Yes, I did there.

He's hoping to get as many people as possible

to a town meeting he's organised in two days' time.

-Could you show me a move?

-Oh, really?

-A step?

-That's so funny!

-Yeah, just one.

THEY LAUGH

There's a meeting tomorrow, if you're free. Do you like dancing?

-I'm going tonight.

-What style?

-Line dancing.

-Fabulous!

Take one of those.

Let me give you that. There's a meeting on tomorrow.

A big celebration performance, which I'm choreographing.

-I need a cast of 300, 400, 500.

-Yeah, OK.

-Hiya! Do you dance?

-Hiya. Absolutely no.

-No?

-No.

I'll leave you one of these and if you could spread the word...?

-It's all about celebrating Huddersfield.

-OK, yeah.

-Hello!

-Hi!

I want to ask you one question.

-Yeah.

-What do you think about dance?

-I love it.

-I love it.

-I love house music.

-Go on, then.

-Because I love cutting shapes.

-Brilliant. You show us.

Oh, my God!

Yeah!

# House every weekend! #

THEY LAUGH

-Is that all right?

-Yeah. I love it. High five.

Perhaps it's luck.

At the moment, I'm riding on the crest of a wave, so...

Yeah, great.

Hoping to fill the void left by this year's cancelled carnival,

Steve's arranged to meet a dance troupe who attend every year.

They're led by 23-year-old Paige.

UPBEAT MUSIC

-Are you Paige?

-I am.

-I'm Steve. Sorry to interrupt, guys.

-It's OK.

-Nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

I'm Steve, I'm a choreographer.

-Oh, wow. OK.

-And I'm in Huddersfield because I'm creating

-a performance to celebrate dance in Huddersfield.

-OK.

-And all the various groups.

-OK. Sounds good.

So, what's the influences of this style of movement?

This style, all the kind of hip movements and shoulders.

It's all very Caribbean-influenced and comes, actually,

way back from Africa, right back to our roots.

-I'm loving what I'm seeing.

-Well, we are the best, aren't we, guys?

-ALL: Yes!

-So, can I join in?

UPBEAT MUSIC

Fingers!

# Ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay Ah. #

-So that was fantastic.

-Did you enjoy it?

-Yeah, really enjoyed it.

-I'm glad.

-I can see why carnival is so infectious.

We all look forward to it every year.

I had my first carnival, I was 11 months old, and ever since then,

I'm now 23, every single year of my life,

I've been in Huddersfield Carnival.

CHEERING

Huddersfield Carnival first took place in 1984.

It became one of the largest outdoor festivals in West Yorkshire,

attracting over 30,000 visitors to a parade filled with

flamboyant costumes that could take months to make.

This is the first year that there isn't one.

And for me, that's heartbreaking, it really is heartbreaking.

It's something that I've done with my grandma.

My grandma brought me up to do with the carnival.

-When you talk about carnival, you just light up.

-I love it!

-I know.

-It's like it runs in your blood.

-Yeah, yeah.

And that's what it is, it really is just in my blood.

I've never known anything different.

This performance that I'm thinking about celebrating Huddersfield,

I'm just thinking about one massive celebration which moves...

-A bit like a carnival!

-Yeah. ..through Hud... Yeah.

-Yeah!

-I'd love you to be involved.

-Thank you!

Because I think this dance seems to be as important as

-Huddersfield cloth.

-I think it'll be amazing, yeah.

-Fantastic!

-You going to do a bit more bum wiggling with us?

-I'll give it a go.

-Yes!

-Come on then, come on then, come on.

# Ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay Ah. #

I'm exhausted, I'm out of breath.

That made me feel fantastic!

Paige really does have carnival running through her veins.

You can see she's so proud of it.

The Huddersfield performance definitely has to have some of that.

After two days of handing out flyers and spreading the word,

Steve is about to find out how keen

Huddersfield is on taking part in his dance special.

I'm hoping that any minute now, this empty hall will soon be full.

That's what I'm hoping, but I don't know.

I need a cast of 400, 500.

I know I'm thinking big.

I'd rather it fail, but at least I've tried, than just playing safe.

That's what it's about.

I want to give the town of Huddersfield something to remember.

-Hello.

-Hiya.

-Are you here for the meeting?

-Yes.

-Brilliant! I'm Steve.

-Steve.

-I'm the choreographer.

-Right.

If you just go in there, take a seat

and we'll just wait for the rest, hopefully.

Welcome.

-Are you here for the meeting?

-We are. Is it that way?

-I'm Steve. Yes. Just go in.

-Thanks.

-Hiya.

-Hiya.

-Hi!

-Hello.

-Oh, hiya!

-Hi!

-Ah!

-You've met me before.

-Yeah!

Hello! Hello, hello, hello, hello!

Thank you. Thank you so much for turning up today.

I don't know how many we've got. Over 100.

So hands up who are established dancers.

-And what do you do?

-We dance, sing.

-Dance.

-You do everything.

You're the triple threats. Any more groups here?

-Huddersfield Crusaders Majorettes.

-Baton?

-We've got pompoms, we can do both.

-Oh, OK.

THEY LAUGH

Confident. I like it! Gents, what do you do?

We do Sikh martial art, so we perform to music.

-It's usually around swords.

-I've never come across that.

Hopefully you'll teach me some. Who have we got down here? Sir?

-We do Bhangra dancing.

-Bhangra. Fantastic! Um...sir?

-Have you ever danced in a boxing ring?

-Onstage, yes.

We're from Rawthorpe Amateur Boxing Club

and we might get you dancing in a boxing ring, we'll see how fast...

-I'll give it a go.

-What do you think?

-Yes, very good.

I don't know how good I am, but I'll give it a go.

LAUGHTER

So, hands up who considers themselves a non-dancer.

That's it, stick your hand up and go, "I am a non-dancer."

Don't write yourself off, gentleman at the back laughing up there.

Just think, "I can learn a new skill."

It might open an door and you'll go, "Do you know what?

"Who knew I had a hidden passion for tango?"

Just stand up for a minute. Just stand up.

Not a big deal.

First of all, it's just your head.

You're going, "Yeah, OK. I'm looking good."

That's it. Now, just as the rhythm takes over your feet,

just kind of let it go. Don't even think about that you're dancing.

There's no right or wrong.

That's it, go!

MUSIC: Respect by Aretha Franklin

I want you to get bigger! Bolder!

Here we go. It's easy! We're going to go...

That's it! That's it! That's it!

Yeah! Ha-ha-ha! That's it!

That's it. There we are. I could see you wanting to do that all night!

HE LAUGHS

Back to your seats! Slowly!

I'm here to create a one-off performance

all about the people who live and work here.

You're my ambassadors, really.

It's for you to go out and spread the word.

This is just the start,

but it's all about celebrating what you have as a community.

Putting Huddersfield on the map.

All these people, how on earth are we going to get us all

dancing together in the streets of Huddersfield?

Like, that's really, really crazy.

But, God, if he thinks he can do it, then we're all up for it.

He's got a big challenge ahead of him,

but I think he's the right man for the job.

If he can do something with people like us, all I can say is,

he's a very good man.

Well, all I can say is he's got a good head of hair just at present,

but by the time he's finished, he'll probably look like me.

-He probably will!

-THEY LAUGH

I'm a bit lost for words.

We had hundreds of people just dancing and grooving

and meeting people and dancing with people they'd never met.

And that's what it's about.

It's about celebration, it's about bringing communities together.

That was a real powerful moment.

Dixons ice-cream shop has had customers queuing around the block

for their famous milk ices since the summer of 1961.

I'll give it a go.

That's amazing. This is fantastic!

Current owner Charles has worked here since he was nine years old.

Right. This is Nancy, Steve.

-Hi, Nancy.

-Hello. Pleased to meet you.

-You were at the meeting.

-Yes, I was.

So, um...what did you think of the mission?

I could see your vision, but Charles didn't, I'm afraid.

But once we'd had a conversation, then he actually said,

"Oh, I see what you mean now."

Nancy and Charles have been married for 33 years.

We met at junior school and we were in the same class

and he used to want to carry my books home for me.

Charles used to always ask me to dance.

I suppose dance was one way which actually meant he could hold me.

Cheeky thing!

Unfortunately, I ended up losing a big toenail, he kept standing on it.

So we eventually decided not to bother with dancing any more.

Charles has worked ever since he was a little boy.

It's been extremely hard,

especially when the children were a lot younger.

He used to be working 20 out of 24 hours in the day.

I am looking forward to him retiring.

Sometimes when you're working, you lose that contact with each other.

And doing something like dance brings you back together again.

-If I could get you dancing together?

-That would be a challenge.

STEVE LAUGHS

-A big challenge!

-Look at your face!

Da-da-da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da.

You can go under...

..you can turn around.

-It's the variations for me.

-Yeah.

I can learn one thing.

You...out. You've got it.

There we are, see? Straight away. 30 seconds, that's all it takes.

-I will get you dancing.

-If you can get me dancing,

you'll be a good 'un because nobody's managed it yet.

THEY LAUGH

Charles and his wife, Nancy, I've got them onboard.

Hopefully they'll be doing a nice little pas de deux.

I can teach Charles to dance. He's already made that first step.

He already tried to dance with his wife.

They're really going to get something from this.

They're really going to benefit.

There's nothing better than seeing two people who love each other just

dancing across the dance floor.

That might be just the old romantic in me, I don't know.

I'm in the right place.

At the meeting, Steve came across two dance groups -

Bhangra and ballet.

He's asked both to a rehearsal to bring their two styles together.

Hardeep, how are you? All right? I've come dressed.

And he's got expert Hardeep to run a workshop.

Two, one, go.

RHYTHMIC DRUMMING

It's just simple steps put together,

but what makes it intrinsically Bhangra is the use of arms.

The girls can pick up the step, but if you look at Hardeep,

he's as one with it.

It's lovely to watch Hardeep, the way he uses his energy.

We can do all that, but that doesn't...

We know it doesn't look like that.

The phrase in Bhangra is chak de phatte, which means "lift the floorboards".

So it is literally kind of putting that energy back in the floorboards

and just, you know, raising it.

And when you see Bhangra dancers, they'll have ankle bells

and they're churning the dust up as they're dancing.

And it's a beautiful scene when you see them dancing in the Punjab.

I'm just playing with how I can use Hardeep's fantastic technique

and style to create something new.

Take all the elements and make it specifically for our performance.

What I want you to do is... hup, hup.

Then I want you to go, one pirouette, two pirouette.

When the drums start, it's as if you can't help yourself.

Move as if the rhythm takes you.

Six, seven, eight.

And one, two, three and four.

And five and six, seven, eight, and one and two.

RHYTHMIC DRUMMING

And back, six, seven, eight, and one! Hello!

Hup!

Hey!

Turn!

Turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, turn and jump!

Oooh!

Combining ballet with Bhangra is totally different,

but I think it was...

I don't know, it was really unusual.

It's something completely different to what we normally do.

It's nothing like ballet or tap, it's completely different.

Thank you so much, Hardeep. You've been brilliant.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I love it. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Also, you're going to start my show.

I'm going to have you just walking down on your own on a street.

-Yeah, that's fine.

-And you're going to play that...

-With the drum.

-Yeah. ..as if you're calling the community together.

-Yeah, that's exactly what my dad used to do.

-Brilliant! Yeah.

Well, originally, it used to be like a town crier,

-so the person with...

-Perfect!

-..would bring the town together.

-You've got my starring role.

-Thank you.

-Brilliant! No, thank YOU.

-I think you're amazing.

-Thank you very much.

-OK. Good to see you.

-Thank you.

-Absolutely amazing. Absolutely amazing, yeah.

-The students are superb. They picked it up just like that.

-Yeah.

I really enjoyed it, as well.

It was really fun and a good atmosphere.

It's good that he was able to stand back a bit

and kind of take those kind of nuances and mix them together.

-Yeah.

-I think that was really good.

I think Hardeep is an incredible teacher.

He's enthused that class, who have never done Bhangra before.

Now we have Bhangra fusion. I'm very excited for the final performance.

If that's just a taster of what we're going to have, look out.

That's all I can say.

RHYTHMIC DRUMMING

Huddersfield's reputation was built on its textile industry.

And keen to reflect this heritage in his dance,

Steve's arranged to visit a local mill.

Huddersfield is famous for its cloth.

It used to be a thriving industry,

but now there's only a few cloth mills still in production.

I've managed to speak to one.

Once they know what my mission is,

I think they'll be quite happy to be part of it.

I'd like to think so, anyway.

-Hiya, are you Carolyn?

-Yes, I am.

-I'm Steve.

-Hi. Pleased to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

Thank you so much for agreeing to show me around the mill.

-It's no problem at all.

-I've been desperate to see one since I've been in Huddersfield.

Great, great. All right, would you like to come this way?

Yeah, please. Thank you.

Here are some of the relics of the industry.

That's not the staff, by the way.

Taylor & Lodge are one of the oldest wool manufacturers in the town,

having moved to their current location on the edge of the Pennines

in the 19th century.

They gained fame in the 1960s for weaving cloth

for the Duke of Edinburgh, Prime Minister Harold Wilson

and the Lord Mayor of London.

-How long has the mill been established?

-Since 1883.

There would have probably been

in excess of 200 employees at that time.

Now, we're probably operating on around 70 staff.

To be fully trained could take seven years. There's a lot to learn.

How important is cloth to Huddersfield?

Well, it's very important.

Many years ago, this whole street that we're on was full of mills.

We're the only operational mill on this road now.

One of the reasons why certain companies have survived

is that they're producing sort of high-value,

high-quality luxury cloths,

which are probably not so easy to be replicated by other countries.

We supply to people like Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent,

Dries van Noten from Belgium.

Steve's hoping he can get some of the mill workers onboard.

-Hi, Jake, I'm Steve.

-You all right, mate?

-All right, yeah.

So I understand you came in as an apprentice,

or are you still an apprentice?

I'm still an apprentice now, still learning.

-So, how long have you been working here?

-About a year and a half now.

And how long have you got still training?

Oh, it could two to three years

until I'm completely fluent in it, so you'd say.

If I say Jake's the younger generation,

how long have you been here?

Oh, I've been here a long time.

-In total, in textiles, probably 50 years.

-Wow!

I'm in Huddersfield because I'm choreographing a performance piece.

I'd love you to be involved. What do you think?

You're not in Lycra, you're not kicking your legs, as such.

You're not doing anything which you'd feel embarrassed.

In fact, it's more kind of,

"We're proud that we create Huddersfield cloth."

-Right.

-I'm happy.

Yeah, Jake, you're up for it? Malcolm, you want to think about it?

-I'll think about it.

-OK.

I think it's quite a good idea. I think it's very different.

I've never heard owt like it before. It's good.

It's quite a novel idea, but, um...

I think it's more for the younger generation

than, you know, than myself.

The mill workers are onboard.

I'm not sure how many as yet, but I wanted to represent them

because they're an integral part of Huddersfield.

The industry gave Huddersfield its architecture,

its history and it's what attracted people from across the world,

making Huddersfield what it is today.

A brilliant mix of history, culture and diversity.

Three weeks away from the performance,

Steve's holding his first open rehearsal

for a mix of gifted amateurs and enthusiastic beginners,

including Charles and Nancy and Hardeep.

So you're going, three, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

It has to keep on moving. This is about you making it your own.

You feel cool.

Let's go right from the top.

Steve will choreograph a routine to a specific track

for each of the many groups he works with.

The song he's working to today is classic swing track

Sing, Sing, Sing by Benny Goodman.

I decided to use Sing, Sing, Sing for a purely selfish reason.

It's what propelled me to dance in the first place.

I used to dance to this track with my aunties.

It's got a strong, simple swing beat that appeals to all ages.

The beat of the rhythm is infectious.

You can't help but dance to it.

Charles, er...he's my challenge.

It'd help if there were that many people, you could just disappear.

-Nobody would ever really see you.

-Well, I hope so.

-Yeah.

Yes, er...he clicks on the offbeat, yes, he walks out of time.

But he is moving his body in the right direction.

And he's dancing with his wife, and he hasn't injured her.

That's it!

-Whoo!

-Run, run, run!

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

That's it. brilliant.

Brilliant. So...

You're not bad. You're not bad.

I am going to make a Gene Kelly out of you, I'm telling you now.

Step across. In front, in front.

Ruby has been dancing for 12 years

and has come along with her mum, Mandy, who's more of a novice.

The two of them live just around the corner from grandmother Denise.

Yeah, that's your mam on the swing.

That is me! Look at my legs there.

Ruby, your legs were just the same when you were that age.

Now you know, don't you, where you get it from.

Me and my mum adore watching Ruby dance.

I feel quite part of it when I'm sat in the audience, you know,

like the doting mum.

Growing up in the '70s,

we were the only white and Asian family within the school

and my dad wouldn't have really appreciated me

spending all this time dancing,

when they concentrated more on the academic side, studying.

Who's this here, this handsome man?

-That's Grandad.

-Yeah, it's Grandad, that.

-And when was that, Mum?

-1961.

After we got married, we just lived in a bedsit.

This last few months, really, within our family, we've had a tough time.

My dad recently passed away and it's been really hard on all the family.

That's Ruby when she was tiny, sat with Grandad there.

That's the age that you started watching Asian films.

A few weeks before he died, I was watching a film with him...

Don't get me upset. She does it every time!

My dad as known as a quiet man. He would do anything for anybody.

And I think it was because he married a white lady

that people thought he was very different.

So he was treated differently.

My dad did have different things to face

from within his own circle of people.

And Grandad with no grey hair.

-Because I think he's always had grey hair...

-Yeah.

-I've never seen Grandad...

-With black hair.

Yeah. Always with grey hair.

My dad lived for his fish and chips. That was his favourite meal.

Every Friday, I'd visit the fish shop.

It had to be at a certain time to do with his praying time.

And if I was late coming back,

he'd be stood on the road looking up and down, looking at his watch.

I couldn't get here quick enough.

The bread would be buttered and the plate would be warmed

and they were gone within minutes.

-Every Friday night.

-It was dancing

that stopped her sleeping here because she started lessons...

On a Saturday morning.

So that was the end of your sleeping at Nana's.

One good thing that's been quite uplifting is me and Ruby,

this bonding that we've had to do this dancing together,

er...has been amazing.

It'll be a lovely memory for us to treasure

because there's not been many good things in the year.

-So, you were in the Bhangra class?

-Yeah, we were.

-Mandy, you're Ruby's mum.

-Yeah.

-Do you dance?

No. It wasn't something, really, that Muslim men would have wanted

their daughters to do.

-Keep up!

-All she ever has done is watched her daughter perform.

Step in front, step, click.

It must be exciting

to kind of shake off the shackles, really, and be free.

Kick, down. One, two, three, kick, kick. Go, Charles!

Yabba-boom-da-da!

-Brilliant!

-APPLAUSE

Fabulous!

That was great. Everyone enjoyed it.

I think they see now that it's all doable

and it's about giving them the confidence.

Laying down that foundation so they can really own the dance.

I'm really happy. It's a good start.

You're the ambassadors now for Sing, Sing, Sing. Carry that forward.

Brilliant. Thank you so much.

APPLAUSE

Not forgetting his invite, Steve's taken up the offer to visit

Rawthorpe Amateur Boxing Club, run by Mark.

Steve, hello, sir. How are you? Are you well?

Good, good. Yeah, great set-up here.

We're very passionate about what we're trying to do.

We formed this club 18 years ago.

I'm an ex-boxer and I want to use boxing

to help people in different ways, to get people motivated.

And that's exactly what I try to do through dance.

-Similar.

-Yeah. It's life skills.

Positive mental attitude. And boxing can give that to people.

Whether you've been a successful boxer or not,

being around the boxing environment gives you that.

So, am I going to put my life in your hands?

Are you going to show me a couple of moves?

-We can do, certainly.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-I'll have a go.

-I won't hit you...

-Right.

-..that hard.

STEVE LAUGHS

We have to do the boxing stare-off.

STEVE LAUGHS

I'm going to dance about, see where your feet are going.

It's all about dancing, so moving around. And you're just punching.

Head, head moving. Come on! Hands up!

Another punch!

STEVE LAUGHS

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Wow! Always moving.

It's fantastic!

-Respect.

-Cheers, man.

-Absolutely respect.

It's everything that I'm trying to do for Huddersfield in this project.

And he's not fazed at all by the word "dance".

Um...and that's really refreshing to hear.

We'll see how many out of these get behind us.

But also, it's given me a lot of inspiration for the piece.

As more individuals and dance groups get onboard,

Steve has to juggle rehearsals across the town.

One, two, three, four.

Now, this is a pivot step. Step up. That's it!

Walk, step, smooth your hair, click.

-THEY LAUGH

-Easy as that.

As well as the mill workers, a group of free-running kids have signed up.

I think you're amazing.

One, two, three, four, five...

Along with majorettes and dance troops.

And two and three, four, change.

Also keen to play a part

are the Gatka sword dancers from the town meeting.

-Hi. Good to see you.

-Hi, Steve.

-Thanks so much for letting me come.

No problem. Most welcome.

Firstly, though, we need to cover your head.

-OK.

-Are you all right with a full turban?

-Yeah, if you're fine with that.

-Brilliant. Let's do it.

The idea of keeping the head covered,

-the first reason is to show respect to God.

-Right.

The second reason was to show equality.

No matter your race, your gender, your social status,

everyone in the eyes of God is equal, so therefore,

we should all be able to wear God's crown.

-I love that.

-Looking smart.

-I love that sentiment.

This traditional form of combat is practised either as

a sport or ritual.

It originated in northern India and was established by the

sixth Sikh Guru Hargobind in the 17th century.

Brilliant. I love that.

Now I've got to know a little bit more about the swords and what

they mean in your culture, I'd love to show this.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Yeah!

The way we usually end our routine is our volunteer is laid down

with a melon on their stomach and then blindfolded.

And I have to then basically cut the melon...

I've suddenly got a dry mouth!

I'm hoping you're not going to ask me to volunteer.

Well, I think it's only fair if we ask you to take part in that.

Um, yes. I'd love to.

Brilliant.

-This one.

-OK.

-Just there.

-Yeah?

Ooh, wow!

Gosh!

-That is hard.

-Yeah, it takes years of practice.

-Yeah.

-You all right with that?

-Yeah, thank you.

MUSIC STARTS

I didn't expect such force. It's lucky I've got a six-pack(!)

I'd love to show this cos it's amazing. It's absolutely amazing.

-Thank you, Jaz.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much, guys. Very special.

Thank you.

Their sword set pieces are spiritual and religious.

And therefore,

we have to honour that, and that throws up challenges about

how I can incorporate them with sensitivity,

but what they represent in the community is essential.

With numbers growing, Steve needs to start planning the route his

dance will take through the streets of Huddersfield.

So, this is the start of the route and this is where we have our

solo drummer and she plays, calling the community together,

and in fact, the dhol drum was used like a town crier,

so that seemed to kind of work very well.

And then, we have gentlemen from the cloth mills joining and

celebrating the heritage of Huddersfield cloth and I just

love the clash of cultures cos that's what Huddersfield is.

So, here comes one of our first tricky transitions,

the ice-cream van.

We've got to time the ice-cream van in seven seconds to take our

visual and our eye up the road.

But behind them, we have 30 to 40 dancers and we then travel up

Kirkgate, we're building momentum and energy.

And another group, fabulous Soca Carnival, take us down.

I want the audience to feel breathless. It's all about surprise.

I love surprise elements.

So, we turn this corner and it is Bhangra-tastic. It is Bhangra fever.

We've got established Bhangra groups,

we have our fusion group, and this drives us all the way up

into our Sing, Sing section, about 200 people,

and they surge like an army,

like a battalion and they start creating whirlpools, circles,

and it's supposed to symbolise and represent the world.

We should have a huge picture of what makes Huddersfield tick.

I know it's ambitious. I haven't had a rehearsal in the square.

I haven't met some of the groups. That scares me witless.

And let's not mention the weather. There is no wet weather contingency.

So that, on top of the other challenges, that could...

That could finish us off, really.

With ten days to go, Steve has to choreograph individual

routines for an ever-growing array of groups.

From an abundance of dance troupes,

to local bakers,

and the town mayor.

Since arriving in Huddersfield, and working with various groups,

people are talking and picking up new skills.

It's bringing pockets of community that have never met.

They're doing their own thing,

but this is what this performance is all about.

It's bringing the heart of the community together as one

heartbeat and making a stronger bond.

And then we'll start on the sixth count of eight, straight in.

One, two, three...

With so many groups still to choreograph,

Steve's calling on dance leaders to run their own rehearsals,

including Paige and her soca group.

Joining Paige's rehearsals just for today is her grandmother, Nana J.

Nana, how are you finding it?

I'm finding it all right, but I'd rather do me own thing.

-Yeah, but you get it a little bit.

-No, I can't.

-Yeah, but you need to practise.

-Practise this?

-Yeah.

I won't remember it.

I'll only remember me soca.

Paige moved in with Nana J when she was five.

It was Nana that introduced me to carnivals.

She's always been the rock of the family.

She's the one that just taught me everything I know.

Paige's early years were spent in Liverpool,

where she lived with her mum, Gillian.

Gillian suffered from a chronic form of asthma and had

a severe attack just days before Paige's fifth birthday.

I just got told my mum was with the angels.

And that was all I could take in. All of a sudden,

my whole life changed and I was whisked off to Huddersfield.

It was just a massive culture shock, to be honest.

I'd been brought up with my white family

and I just wasn't used to the way that the Caribbean culture is.

I wasn't used to simple things like the food, how to dress,

how to act, how to behave, how to address your elders.

It was really, really strict.

And my Nana really stepped in, took the role of mum, dad,

and nana, altogether in one.

And this is home, you know?

I now follow the kind of culture that my nana has taught me.

So, step, then click, and then step, then click.

-And then...

-LAUGHTER

Click this hand, Nana!

You're just walking!

-I know, I'm...

-So, you just step... Wait. What am I doing again?!

LAUGHTER

Nana! It's hard work. It really is.

With less than a week to go,

Steve holds his first and only rehearsal of the entire performance.

Because the route is so big,

we have to mark out a route on a playing field.

Unable to close the town centre before the big day,

Steve's created a to-scale route and has invited as many people as

possible to this rehearsal.

The performance will begin with a lone drummer,

calling the people of Huddersfield to the streets.

More and more performers will emerge,

snaking through the town centre.

As the carnival-esque parade builds,

it drives down towards the grand finale,

where hundreds gather outside the town's iconic train station.

Pretty nervous, cos it's a massive deal to me that Steve's asked

me to open the whole thing.

-How are the steps going?

-It's a natural thing, isn't it?

I don't have to learn those steps. It's already within me, isn't it?

Nancy knows what she's doing. I just follow... I just do as I'm told!

But Steve can't quite plan for everything.

Ignore the rain! It's not here!

I have seen films where people dance in the rain.

And it looks actually quite cool.

Yorkshire weather.

It is just chucking it down. It's torrential.

So we've adapted two lanes of 26 metres,

so at least we can work with our cast to try and get them moving.

Five, six, seven, eight.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

So, you start the piece and we have ten seconds of you drumming.

Huddersfield's streets can only be closed for an afternoon,

where the entire performance needs to be captured in one

continuous unedited camera shot.

So this is ten seconds. Here.

-Right.

-If you can reach here in ten seconds' worth, that'd be amazing.

The performers have just one chance to hit their cues and get the

routines spot-on.

The break in the weather gets everyone back outside.

So you're tumbling, you're tumbling, you're tumbling, stop!

But not for long.

You don't want to know how I'm feeling about the weather.

It just makes everything ten times as hard.

I haven't been able to work with all my cast and the next time we

get to meet is on the day of the performance.

I'm really worried. It's a nightmare.

With just three days to go until Huddersfield dances,

-there's no let-up with rehearsals.

-That was excellent. Fantastic.

It's absolutely brilliant!

Jab, jab, jab. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

-Jab, jab, jab.

-One, two, three, kick. One, two, three, kick.

I have 40 in, we choreograph them,

they leave, another group comes in.

I choreograph them.

And after that, another group comes in and I'm choreographing them.

And hopefully, we'll get to the end in one piece.

Across town, people are perfecting their routines.

Slide, slide.

Now.

A bit overcome with all this dancing.

Me hips aren't all that good.

Me arms aren't very good either!

Two, three... No, you don't turn that way.

Everything else is just difficult.

Duh-duh-duh. Faster.

It's just, I want a little bit of a swagger.

Is there anything you do, Mark, when you're training them?

Perfect, that's it!

If we just give it more of a kind of slide, bap-bap, slide.

Roll into it.

You've got it! That's it! Slide, boom-boom.

You're going that way, Martin.

That's right.

Slide, bap-bap. Slide, bap-bap. Slide, bap-bap. Slide, bap-bap.

-Excellent.

-One, two, three, click. One, two, three, click. One, two...

-Wrong side, Mum.

-Three.

Stop laughing!

You're sex gods for the day!

As preparations and rehearsals move into their final 24 hours...

That's it

Four. Here we go!

..Steve's still pushing his performers to bring scale and

spectacle to the streets of Huddersfield.

And three and four, five, six, seven, eight.

One and two, three and four, and five and six and seven and eight...

Even if that means throwing in last-minute changes for some groups.

-What are you visualising?

-I just want it full-on.

I just want an audience to go, "Wow, that's soca at its best!"

Huddersfield is vibrant and extraordinary,

it's bursting with brilliance and colour.

But time has run out and I'm not sure how confident I am

we can do this.

The performance is tomorrow and it's the first time I'll have

everyone in the same place. But I've done what I can.

Now, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Brilliant!

It's up to them now.

It's performance day.

It's touch-and-go at the moment, to be honest.

There's no wet weather contingency and the clouds are coming in.

You know, but we always... Fingers crossed.

I'm really proud and it's really exciting to do it.

You're going to need all the luck you can get.

A little bit daunting and I'm hoping we're going to get it all all right.

It's been a lot of stress.

I'd have liked more time to get the dances right.

And practise it because even I'm not too sure about the...

With the streets closed, the camera crew are able to rehearse

their continuous shot for the first time.

-Yeah, I think that's fine.

-OK. Whoa!

-So, where you go round like that...

-Oh, right.

Float like a butterfly! Sting like a bee!

You want some? Come and get it!

Wow! Just look at all of you! It's incredible!

I knew Huddersfield was a special place when, at the town meeting,

you listened to this Welshman speak about his crazy idea of

getting a town dancing and how I wanted to celebrate

Huddersfield in all its cultural diversity.

But none of you flinched, none of you made a run for the exit.

You must dance like your life's depending on it and show what

community means!

You know what to do.

Let's dance!

-Yes!

-CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

DRUMMING

MUSIC: Bingo Bango by Basement Jaxx

BEEPS HORN

ICE-CREAM PLAYS GREENSLEEVES

MUSIC: Black Magic by Little Mix

# Take a sip of my secret potion

# I'll make you fall in love

# For a spell that can't be broken

# One drop should be enough

# Boy, you belong to me

# I got the recipe

# And it's called black magic

# And it's called black magic

# Take a sip of my secret potion

# One taste and you'll be mine

# It's a spell that can't be broken

# It'll keep you up all night

# Boy, you belong to me

# I got the recipe

# And it's called black magic

# And it's called black magic. #

-# Lust for life

-Lust for life

# Got a lust for life

# I got a lust for life. #

FUNKY ELECTRONIC MUSIC

# Looking back on the track for a little green bag

# I gotta find, just a kind I'm losing my mind... #

BELL RINGS

# Oh! Turn it down!

# I'm back

# I'm back

# I'm back

# I'm back

# I'm back

# Get up offa that thing and dance till you feel better... #

# The son of the sword The darkness of the blade

# The path of the saint and the soldier is the one we must take. #

BHANGRA MUSIC

MUSIC: Sing, Sing, Sing

Yes!

We loved being involved, loved being centre stage, yeah, perfect.

It was great to see everybody all together,

and it was really, really good.

The streets we've walked on for many years, and there we are.

And we still do, every day.

It's going to be a great memory to look back on in many years,

when I'm walking around with a Zimmer frame.

I'll look back on this day, and it'll be wonderful.

It makes me proud to be from Huddersfield.

-It was good fun, wasn't it?

-Yeah, it was. We've had a good time.

Yeah, we have.

Seeing the finale, and all the groups coming together,

all their colour and all their splendour - it's absolutely amazing.

It's not just a community now, they've really bonded,

and they was amazing. They really pulled it off.

They danced with heart, and pride. I...

..feel really proud that I brought a sense of carnival

to the streets of Huddersfield.

Yeah, I'm really... I couldn't be happier.

Next time, Steve heads to York,

where he hopes to go bigger and bolder.

People of York, listen up - I'm looking for a cast of hundreds.

Can he pull off a final show-stopping performance

to celebrate the whole county?

'As soon as I mentioned dance, the colour just drained.'

I just have absolutely no rhythm whatsoever.

I'm absolutely quaking in my size-nine ballet shoes.