TAKING time out of their festival rounds this summer, Birmingham collective The Old Dance School will make a brief visit to Dorset this month, presenting their own brand of beautiful and uplifting feel-good folk music at just two Artsreach venues.

Harnessing energy from the elements, and inspiration from their unstoppable sense of adventure, The Old Dance School fuses seven of the exciting young folk scene’s finest musicians.

The Old Dance School began in 2006 as a gathering of friends in the garden of the old Betty Fox school of ballet in Birmingham, then a legendary party venue, from where they take their name. There, each would bring along a tune or a song for the group to experiment with. From international jazz festivals to European opera tours, The Old Dance School have already performed with big names such as Martha Wainwright, Cerys Matthews, Graham Coxon and The Destroyers among a wealth of others and are currently working on their third album.

The Old Dance School have earned accolades from some of radio’s most discerning trend spotters – Radio 2 DJs Bob Harris called them ‘an absolute gem…wonderful!’ and Mike Harding added: ‘There’s a genuine creative fizz to what the band do’.

Catch them at Sturminster Newton Exchange on August 25 at 7:30pm (call 01258 475137) and at West Lulworth village hall the following day at 8pm (call 01929 400492).