A TROUPE of aerial dancers and acrobats will be celebrating its tenth anniversary at a Hampshire theatre this summer.

The Point, Eastleigh will be hosting the tenth birthday edition of Gravity & Levity’s European Aerial Dance Festival from August 5 to August 17.

The EADF is curated by the dancers' artistic director Lindsey Butcher and offers intensive courses and workshops, taught by professional tutors.

This year's edition will feature more tutors than ever before, plus an exclusive teacher performance showcase and the UK premiere of Gravity & Levity’s vertical dance duet, "WHY".

The duet was "critically acclaimed", winning the Jerwood Circus award and will be reproduced with the same cast and crew but a new sound score.

Running over two weeks, the programme includes courses in trapeze, fabric and vertical dance, aerial-hoop and much more.

Participants will also find a pop-up physio clinic and other specialist workshops for all levels and abilities alongside an array of workshops.

EADF director Lindsey Butcher said:

"We are thrilled to be bringing Gravity & Levity’s tenth birthday edition of the EADF to Eastleigh. This will be our fourth consecutive year of presenting the Festival at The Point, which is the most wonderful venue to host this two-week event."

"It perfectly meets our needs to create a focussed, intimate and friendly festival and has enabled us to grow this annual event, adding new and exciting classed and performances year on year. We can’t wait for August"

The 2018 event saw students arriving from across the UK and Europe and as far as Australia, Japan, Kuwait and the US, right back to Eastleigh, placing the borough on the cultural map.

The Point’s programme producer for dance, Vicki Hargreaves said:

"It’s a privilege to host EADF for another year, and what a year it is. As one of our home artists, it feels really fitting that Gravity and Levity’s tenth year is celebrated here and we are very proud to support the development of this exciting art form in the heart of the borough, with its strong international links."