The Committee of the Manx Music, Speech and Dance Festival (the Guild) are delighted to announce Dandara Group as the first headline sponsor in the event’s 123-year history.
The three-year agreement will see the company support the Festival up to and including its 125th anniversary in 2017.
Festival Chairman Ken Bawden said: ‘We are highly impressed by the enthusiasm that the Dandara Group has shown at the prospect of partnering with us and we look forward to working together.’
Graham Crowe of the Festival Promotional Committee added: ‘With the support of the Dandara Group we will be seeking ways to further develop and diversify the Festival for the benefit of competitors and the enjoyment of our audiences. I am sure that the expertise and experience of the team at the Dandara Group will be an asset that we can draw on as organisers.’
This year’s Festival gets underway today (Friday, April 24th) and runs through to May 2nd. The vast majority of classes take place in the Villa Marina, with the Empress Hotel and St Thomas’ Church hosting some categories.
More than 1,700 competitors – with ages ranging from six to 100 – will take part in 176 classes across the nine days.
Dandara Group Managing Director Seamus Nugent said: ‘The Manx Music, Speech and Dance Festival is one of the main highlights in the Island’s cultural calendar and we are extremely proud to sponsor such a significant event.
‘There can be few people in the Island whose lives haven’t been touched in one way or another by The Guild. So many young people compete each year, and if you haven’t been involved yourself as a young person or an adult, the chances are that you will have attended the Festival to watch relatives or friends perform.
‘The organisers do a wonderful job in keeping the Festival accessible to all, with ticket prices kept as low as possible. The sheer variety of talent on show each year across the many classes is breathtaking - singers, choirs, solo musicians, bands, dancers and groups, and of course there is plenty for those who have a love of the spoken word and drama.
‘We are really looking forward to working with the Festival committee over the next three years.’
Photo - Dr Jacqueline Yates, Festival Secretary; Joanna Orton, Marketing Director, Dandara Group; Ken Bawden, Festival Chairman; Mrs Anne Clarke, Festival Vice-Chairman.
