This dropped into my inbox yesterday and it looks quite interesting. Barclays Live has launched a dance competition and will be stopping off at various regions around the UK. On September 4th they’re coming to Piccadilly Gardens.

The competition is open to anyone who thinks they’ve got what it takes to become Britain’s next dancing superstar, be it as an individual, duo, group or troupe. Here’s what you have to do. Email Barclays Live at info@barclayslive.co.uk with either a link to a YouTube video of you / your dance troupe or send the video as an attachment. You should also include your name, phone number and postcode. The closing date for entries is August 29th.

The top ten entries will be put through to live auditions, which will take place on Saturday 4 September on a stage at Piccadilly Gardens. These contestants will perform in front of a celebrity panel of judges including Strictly Come Dancing’s Brendan Cole, as well as an audience made up of Manchester’s great and good.

The top five acts will then be subject to a public vote to decide the winner via the Barclays Live website.

To give you an idea of what happens on the day, take a look at this video shot on July 31st in Leicester Square.

The winner will come away with £1,000, plus VIP tickets to see Brendan Cole in action.

The Barclays Live auditions will form part of a day-long programme of events, including a dance master class by Brendan Cole and performances by a variety of fantastic dance acts.

Note: Children under the age or 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

For further details visit the Barclays Live website at www.barclayslive.co.uk.

We went along to the Book Market on Saturday. I have to say that at first glance I was a bit disappointed. It was tiny. There were only a few independent publishers and a couple of magazine stalls. Two stalls were taken up with fast food. Not the greatest choice next to books and art. Can’t say I would’ve been too pleased to have my stock smelling of hot dogs. All in all I felt it was a bit of a wasted opportunity.

That said, the stalls that were there were excellent and true to form we came back with books, magazines and, unexpectedly, two library memberships. The stall holders were friendly and obviously knew their stuff. I managed to snag a copy of the new Corridor 8 magazine and a copy of Transmission. Oh and a book of short stories called Ideas Above Our Station from Route. It was worth going just for those.

It got me thinking about a festival or exhibition for Manchester bloggers. Not quite sure how that would work. Hmmmm . . . .

Now that’s an intriguing opener to a press release.  The rock star physicist is Brian Cox, formerly of D:Ream fame and currently splitting his time between experimental physics in Manchester and the CERN labs in Geneva. Along with co-writer Jeff Forshaw, who like Brian is one of the youngest professors in the UK, he has written a book entitled ‘Why Does E=mc2? (and why should we care?)‘. The book launch has been organised by Blackwell bookshop and will take place on July 7th at the Museum Of Science And Industry.

Launch organiser Ian Carrington commented, ‘The book makes physics accessible for non-scientific people like me. It should be a fascinating talk by two award-winning young professors. I’m excited because this book is totally in keeping with the spirit of Manchester Science Festival: making science living, breathing fun for everyone.’

A couple of the last year’s MLF events overlapped with the Science Festival and I have to say that I enjoyed them very much. And I think I would fall into the category of non-scientific people.

Details:

What: Book Launch | Why Does E=mc2? (and why should we care?)
Where: Cardwell Auditorium at the Museum of Science and Industry (Liverpool Road, Castlefield, Manchester M3 4FP)
When: Tuesday July 7th 7.15 – 9.15pm
Cost: £1, redeemable against one copy of the book on the night
More Info: Blackwell University Bookshop, Precinct Centre, Oxford Road, Manchester (telephone 0161 274 3331)

There are still a number of events left to go, including Saturday’s ‘The Behaviour of Moths‘, which I’m particularly looking forward to.

For more info and to see the full programme go to www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk.
And if you’ve missed any of the events, there are lots of reviews at www.manchesterliterature.blogspot.com.

And in a few weeks hundreds of literary types will be heading for venues around the city for the Manchester Literature Festival.  I’m especially looking forward to it this year as I’m going to be one of the MLF bloggers.  I can’t wait.  As always there’s an exciting line-up including appearances by Jenni Murray, Russell T Davies and  Carol Ann-Duffy.  The venues are also intriguing, from Matt & Phred’s Jazz Club to the Lord Mayor’s Parlour in the Town Hall.  You can keep up with what’s happening on the festival blog.

The last question is the easiest to answer and so I’ll start there.  There were around 30 women from different backgrounds: entrepreneurs, students, housewives, performance artists and many more.  We sat in a circle in The Friends’ Meeting House and listened to guest speaker and Well Heeled Diva, Jane Kenyon. The subject of the seminar was ‘Finding Courage, Losing Doubt: Strategies for Life’. A tough gig for anyone to tackle but Jane talked frankly and honestly about her own life and this filtered through when we split up into smaller groups to discuss some of the issues.

I’ve been to lots of seminars, workshops and lectures – some good and some bad. For me the mark of any successful event is if I can take away one valuable thing. This could be advice, an idea or a contact. Last week I learned a number of practical tips but the one thing that stayed with me was the idea of deconstructing negative beliefs and substituting them with positive ideas.  It’s too complex to tackle here but if you’re interested in learning more take a look at the sites below.

And the other two questions? Well, I still don’t have comprehensive answers to those but I think I know two women who do.

Jane Guest – dynamic entrepreneur, motivational coach and one of the founding members of Well Heeled Divas.

Jessica Symmons – social entrepreneur, creative thinker and one of the founding members of the northern strand of Thinking Women

Further Info:

www.thinkingwomen.org

http://wellheeleddivas.typepad.com

I’m off to the New Islington Urban Folk Festival next week.  Judging from last year’s photos it promises to be a grand event with music, art, theatre, film, food, drink and dance.

Here are some pics from last year.

This year’s events include Sketch City gets Arty, Yarn Bombing, Knitting Circle, Pimp my Barge and Knot Crazy.

It takes place on Saturday 6th September between 2 and 8 pm at Old Mill Street, New Islington, Manchester.

For more information Visit the NIF Facebook Group or go to www.newislington.co.uk.

More next week . . . .