Tameside and Oldham dancers to represent region at major Barcelona street festival

A unique collaboration between two community dance groups from Greater Manchester is set to take centre stage this September at one of Europe’s biggest street arts festivals, La Mercè, in Barcelona.

Twenty dancers from The Indian Association Oldham’s Dancing Diyas and Saddleworth Women’s Morris & Clog are joining forces to create a brand-new performance that blends their distinct cultural traditions. Brought together by international Carnival arts organisation Global Grooves, based at The Vale in Mossley, the project highlights the rich and diverse folk heritage of the region.

Despite their differences in style, the two groups found common ground while sharing their dances, most notably in their use of sticks during routines, a striking similarity that has helped form the foundation of the collaborative piece.

Over the next two months, the dancers - whose ages range from their 20s to 60s - will work with Brazilian choreographer Adrianna Rosso to develop a short performance that honours both Indian and British folk traditions. The piece will feature original music created by musicians Jack Tinker and Emma Marsh, combining Indian and British folk sounds with global influences for a vibrant and contemporary fusion.

The group will travel to the Catalonian capital to perform at La Mercè, the region’s most prominent annual street arts festival. Their participation is not only a celebration of cultural exchange but also a proud moment for Tameside, showcasing how community arts can transcend borders and bring people together through movement, rhythm, and creativity.

Freya Bennett-Nielson, producer, Global Grooves, said: "Working together, the two groups are exploring their own cultural practices, sharing stories, and finding common threads. 

"Rather than blending styles, they are developing choreography that reflects both distinct identities and shared values.

"We're only in the early stages, but already, it's really lovely to see the two groups appreciating each other's dance traditions and working together to create a piece that showcases the best of both.

"I think the audiences in Barcelona will be very interested to see that both dance traditions make use of sticks, as do Catalan folk dancers from their own region."

Karuna Mohandas is the lead choreographer of Dancing Diyas, an Indian dance group that has been performing since 2020. The group is named after the diya, a traditional clay oil lamp used during festivals, which symbolises bringing light into people's lives through dance and dispelling darkness by encouraging others to join in.

She said: "It's been really interesting to learn more about morris dancing. Growing up in the north west, I've obviously seen it before, but it's been a whole different experience to be working so closely with an all female morris side. 

"We've discovered so many similarities between Indian folk dance and morris, as well as some really interesting differences.

"Dancing Diyas have previously performed at events like Illuminate and Festival Oldham, but most of the group have never even performed in a different country before or travelled to Barcelona, so to be dancing there will be an amazing experience for all the girls".

Laura Kemp-Smyth, from Mossely, is squire and forewoman of Saddleworth Women's Morris & Clog, founded in January 2024.

She said: "This project is a revelation. We were familiar with Bollywood style dance, but not with Indian folk dance, and to see so many similarities between the two traditions has been really eye opening.

"As a very new team, full of energy and enthusiasm about morris, our ladies are so excited.

"To be able to showcase morris dance alongside other traditional dance forms on the world stage, and to represent not only Greater Manchester but the UK, is an amazing opportunity. 

"We're really inspired by the process of working with dancers from other traditions - including Global Grooves' choreographer Adrianna Rosso who is from Brazil - and we will take away a new, more creative outlook to all of our future performances."

Councillor Peter Dean, Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure at Oldham Council, said: “We’re incredibly proud to see Oldham artists and cultural organisations represented on the global stage through this prestigious partnership with Barcelona’s La Mercè Festival.

"This is a fantastic opportunity not just for Manchester, but for the wider region, including our home town Oldham. It’s a chance to showcase our creative talent, build international links, and celebrate the diversity and energy of our communities. Oldham Council is committed to supporting cultural collaboration that inspires pride, participation, and possibility for all our residents.”

La Mercè takes place at the end of September and Manchester has been named as this year's guest city, following in the footsteps of Casablanca in Morocco last year.  Loved by locals and tourists alike, a huge number of events run over a whole week and include street processions, concerts, street arts and traditional cultural celebrations. 

The work is produced by Global Grooves and commissioned by XTRAX. It is supported by Manchester City Council, Arts Council England and XTRAX and funded by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), GM Arts, Oldham Council, and Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council.

Manisha Kalyan and Heather Biggs