Hi Everyone

A big thank you to everyone who came along and everyone who helped out behind the scenes last weekend.  Independent Venue Week always brings a great variety of old and new faces through our doors every year, and last week's edition was no exception!  A big thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Anyhow, as January passes, February arrives, and we have yet another busy weekend to tell you about

On Friday, it's time for TRIBUTE NIGHT

As regular visitors will know, every three months Tribute Night features a different artist and a bunch of local musicians play a bunch of songs by the featured artist.

This time around Tribute Night's featured artist(s) happen to be GEORGE MICHAEL AND WHAM!

Unashamedly pop, Wham! furnished us with a string of catchy, funky, singalong singles during their short lifespan, after which George Michael stepped comfortably and seamlessly into his own highly successful solo career, maturing steadily into a more reflective and soulful elder statesman of pop. His shocking, untimely death on Christmas Day will inevitably bring a certain poignancy to the evening.

A variety of singers and musicians, bands and solo acts will treat us to a rich, diverse selection of Wham! and solo George Michael songs.  Shuttlecocks at the ready!

If you’d like to be involved in a future night, email your song choices to [email protected]. It’s all about inclusion and participation here at Tribute Night, so don’t be shy!

Admission, as always, is free, but you will be expected to donate extravagantly when the hat-bearers circulate the building during the interval, and you will be thoroughly guilt-tripped until you comply, so bring a spare fiver at the very least.  

Doors open at 8pm for a prompt 8:30pm start.  By the way, we're expecting this to be fairly packed, so do arrive early to ensure entry and avoid disappointment.  

(If you turn up late, you might not get in!)

On Saturday, come and play CALLY TRENCH’s BOARD GAMES! 

Seven colourful and exciting original games, both playable games and works of art that are animated and completed by people playing them. The luscious pieces contrast with delicate black line drawings on the boards. The games are multi-layered: they seem sweet and benign, but more sinister and challenging aspects emerge. 

The games (each for 2-4 players) last 5-20 minutes, and have accessible rules. They are suitable for all ages. You can go on a 'Shopping Spree', become 'Vegetable Thieves', struggle with 'Whirlpools and Lifebelts', play for 'Danger Money', go on holiday in 'I've brought you back a baby dragon', fall into toxic ponds in 'Board Game', and collect 'Gravestones and Dry Bones'. 

Our bar will be open including a range of organic beers and homemade cake with a games theme!

Cally also makes artists books. Some of these works will be on display and for sale at this event.

We'll be open at 7.30pm and once again, and entry is by donation

Finally on Sunday, we bring you a 2017 edition of our DANCE DAY!

Last year's Dance Day was so popular we've decided to hold it on two floors with classes going on upstairs and down.  Classes will repeat so that you don't have to miss a thing!  Kick 2017 off with a burst of creative energy and get active for thwe year ahead!  Dance is social, active and creative. Improves fitness and health, is expressive and life affirming and is a great way to meet people

And while we remember, it looks something like this:-

Café open at 10.00 am.
10.30 - kick start your day with a get active. 'wake up' salsa class.
11.30 - Kizomba or la rueda
12.30 - 5 rhythms or bachata
1.30 - Balboa or tango
2.30 - Bachata or Charleston (strolls)
3.30 - La rueda or Balboa
4.30 - Kizomba or tango
5.30 - 6.00 - chill - while we set up for demo's
6.00 onwards demonstrations by the teachers and maybe some free dancing.

We're open from 10am to 8pm, and once more, it's absolutely free!

That’s everything for another week, just to remind you that we are, as always, at 30 Silver Street, Reading, RG1 2ST (If you pop it into your satnav or Google, we shall magically appear!)