Ipswich dance and music festival for and by young people

Katie Squirrell is one of three youth leaders who helped recruit the festival's acts and manage its budget, supported by the DanceEast team

A first year university student who has helped produce her first dance festival in her home town said she is "very excited but also a little bit nervous".

The DanceEast Youth Festival is hosting its second creative day for young people in Ipswich, Suffolk.

Katie Squirrel, now at the University of York, jumped at the chance to be one of three youth organisers.

It "incredible" to help produce a "massively exciting festival", the 19-year-old said.

Festival organisers hope people involved with music will try dance, while dancers will give music-making a go

The free event at DanceEast, on the town's Waterfront, is aimed at 12 to 25-year-olds and uses dance workshops, music performances and arts spaces to help them "try new things".

Miss Squirrell said: "If you go to a breakdance workshop, and you've never done it before in your life, it's a very judgement-free open space where it doesn't matter if you're not very good at it - you're there to have a bit of fun, build a bit of confidence and make some new friends."

The festival includes seven music acts, all from Suffolk, four dance workshops and film screenings.

"I've been working on it since about January over Zoom, until I came home at the end of term," she said.

The youth leaders' aim was to get more young people into dance, while merging the dance and live music scenes.

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Miss Squirrell spent six years training as a dancer, before deciding she wanted to be a producer and art manager.

She is now studying business of the creative industries.

Getting involved with the festival allowed her to "reconnect with the arts scene in Suffolk".

"I thought that's perfect for me - and I'd love to help manage a small scale festival for them," she said.

"My advice to young people [thinking about doing the same] is throw yourself into every single project you can get your hands on, because you never know what will come out of it."

The DanceEast Youth Festival takes place between 12:00 to 16:00 BST.

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