THE BATTERY OF IDEAS: ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE

FIND US IN LOWESTOFT

The Battery of Ideas: Artists in Residence 2025

Led by First Light Festival CIC, the Battery of Ideas is an exciting project designed to fire up ideas, enthusiasm and involvement in the new Cultural Quarter development in Lowestoft town centre, to grow public awareness and engagement in the Quarter and create a step change in creative production and cultural participation in the town.

A temporary space on the high street, ‘The Battery’ is an engine room for testing out activity through making, showing and sharing with the community in Lowestoft, and we’re excited to return this autumn with Glass House Dance and Second Hand Dance.

Glass House Dance residency | Tuesday 23 – Saturday 27 September

Glass House Dance make celebratory, joyful, uplifting dance experiences; reclaiming dance for the joy of it! They will be in residence hosting pop-up discos and workshops to share your favourite dance stories. To share YOUR favourite dance story, you can get in touch with them via social media @glasshousedance

Time Machine Tea Dance

Thursday 25 September | 2.00pm – 3.30pm

Welcome to the Time Machine Tea Dance! A space where everyone is invited to dance, watch and socialise. It’s a Tea Dance but not as you know it…. With our trusty time machine we will flip through time, covering different musical genres and dance styles. You will hear some traditional tea dance numbers but we may dip in to disco or hot foot it to hip hop!  Come and relive your favourite dance floor moments and share them with Glass House Dance.

Suitable for all, but particularly 65+. You are welcome to come alone, with a partner or a group.

Suitable for seated and standing participation. No knowledge of tea dances is necessary.

Time Machine Disco

Saturday 27 September | 2.00pm – 3.00pm

Glass House Dance invite you to join them on a clubbing journey through the ages.

Calling all foot-tappers, dad dancers, disco divas, jumping jivers, old school ravers and shake-your-money- makers. Join the party and step back in time, relive your favourite dance floor moments and come and share them with Glass House Dance.

Also catch Laura and Sarah from Glass House Dance on their trusty tandem bike on Lowestoft Highstreet as they collect your dance stories!

Suitable for all ages!

Second Hand Dance residency | Wednesday 22 – Saturday 25 October 

Our third and final residency of the year, Second Hand Dance will be transforming The Battery into a tapestry of sticky tape from  with their tactile and colourful dance performance installation, The Sticky Dance. Second Hand Dance create bold, accessible and sensory dance experiences for children and families, and will be offering open, drop-in sessions for families throughout their residency and connecting with early years groups, nurseries and schools, inviting the children (and grown-ups!) of Lowestoft to tape, stick and groove, to see and feel sound or to be still, watch and listen.

The Sticky Dance

Saturday 25 October | 10.00am – 12.00pm | 2.00pm – 4.00pm

The Sticky Dance is an interactive, engaging and colourful performance installation for children and their families.

Three dancers’ shimmy through the audience weaving a tapestry of sticky tape in this tactile dance performance for young children. They invite you to tape, stick and groove, to see and feel sound or to be still, watch and listen. Audiences are encouraged to explore freely, turn the rules upside down and create their own experience.

The Sticky Dance is open for 2 hours for each performance, with entrance slots available to book every 15 minutes. We recommend you spend approximately 45 – 60 minutes in the space, although you can choose to stay for longer or shorter. The first 2 slots have a lower capacity, for children who might prefer a gentler start.

For family audiences and children aged 3-5 years old.

Book your free space here.

Read more about the Battery of Ideas here.