From its beginnings as a dance school, Performanze  now offers dance in most genres, drama, gymnastics, musical theatre and classes for adults in dance and zumba under the guidance of the principal Miss Rosie Easton. We take children from aged 2+ to adult and of all abilities. We keep our classes fun and relaxed as we recognise that many children will prefer the arts as a hobby, however, we also encourage those students who wish to, to take government acknowledged exams with the examining boards of ISTD and UKA.  This year we have had one of our students successfully audition and obtain a scholarship with SLP, Leeds to further her training in which we sincerely wish her well.

Our classes are held on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at Totterdown Baptist Church, Knowle and Bristol Gymnastic Centre, Hartcliffe. All our teachers our fully qualified, have a vast experience in both performance and teaching, hold first aid certificates and advanced CRB checks. We welcome all age and ability to our classes and offer superb discounts, bursaries and scholarships. For example if three or more classes are attended there is a studentship rate which covers all classes for a termly cost of £100. Our next term commences on Saturday 3 September, the first class is free and we also offer a 6 week trial period.

We pride ourselves as an integral part of the local community, as a school we participate in local fetes and events showing our skills and providing face painting etc. And will also showcase to clubs, charities and other organisations should there be a need. Recently some o f the children attended the Totterdown street fair and last year we held an open workshop ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with a westend performer attending and imparting some of his skills and knowledge.

From inception Performanze has held a yearly show to allow the students to perform to a live audience. Our first was held in a local church hall, progressing to Wickham Theatre for the last two years, all of which have been well received and thoroughly enjoyed by the students and audience alike. This year we have set our sights high and will be holding the performance, ‘Seasons Spectacular’ at Colston Hall. We will be joined by local groups which will make this a truly spectacular event and are in the beginnings of the show designing costumes, sets and backdrops, learning of scripts and dances as well as songs and musical scores. Any new comers to the school in the new term will be able to join in the show. Should any business wish to sponsor us in as much as assisting with costs or advertise in our programme they should contact our administration team.

We also hold showcases and presentation days to provide short glimpses of class work, dances learned and present certificates and awards gained. As well as these showcases parents are invited to the last class of the term to see how their children have progressed.

A new and exciting addition to the school has been the opening of Performanze Agency. We have had a number of successful auditions with students appearing in a number of TV adverts, TV series and films. All our children are chaperoned by experienced staff and have had a whale of a time in the filming. This has given them an exciting insight to the performing world.

So a short introduction to Performanze. Why not come along and see for yourself and join in the fun. More information can be found at www.performanze.co.uk, by emailing performanzeuk@gmail.com or performanze@live.co.uk or calling 07745 0990472.

Bristol (originally known as Brycgstow “the place at the bridge”) has been a port for a thousand years but came to prominence after the Norman invasion of 1066. Bristol was granted county status in 1373 by King Edward III : an honour it has held almost without interruption until the present day. By the 14th century, the city was trading with Spain, Portugal, the Mediterranean and Iceland. After the discovery of America, Bristol was the main point of departure for voyages to the New World. In 1542 Bristol was made a city, with the former Abbey of St Augustine becoming Bristol Cathedral.

Bristol boomed in the late 17th and 18th centuries as new colonies were founded in the West Indies and North America. Due to its location, Bristol was well placed to trade with the colonies. Tobacco, sugar, rum and cocoa were all imported to Britain through the city. Bristol subsequently became a leading city in the triangular slave trade, which underpinned much of the wealth of the city merchants and the development of new residential areas such as Clifton. The slave trade has had an ongoing and lasting legacy for the city, as illustrated in the recent exhibition at Bristol’s Empire and Commonwealth Museum Breaking the Chains and the work of the Legacy Commission in Bristol to tackle some of the inequalities and disadvantage created by the legacy of slavery.

In 1801 the population of Bristol was 68,800. It continued to rise rapidly in the 19th century and reached 266,000 in 1881. In the 19th century the copper, brass and glass industries in Bristol went into decline. On the other hand, shipbuilding boomed in Bristol, as did the tobacco, chocolate and soap making industries. In 1833, Isambard Kingdom Brunel was appointed chief engineer of the Great Western Railway, and his work on the line that linked London to Bristol helped to establish him as one of the world’s leading engineers. Brunel did more than anyone to shape the face of modern Bristol. His legacy includes the Clifton Suspension Bridge, the SS Great Britain and Temple Meads Old Station.

In the 20th century Bristol’s greatest industry became aircraft manufacture. The aerospace industry has had a base in Bristol since its early days when George White founded the Bristol Aeroplane Company at Filton in 1910. In the mid-1960s, Concorde was built and tested at Filton. Other industries that continued to flourish in Bristol were chocolate, tobacco, engineering, chemicals, zinc, furniture and pottery. Moreover, Bristol continued to be an important port in the 20th century.

Today, Bristol is a large commercial centre and one of the most popular cities for business relocation.

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,006,600 residents, it is England’s sixth, and the United Kingdom’s eighth most populous city, one of the group of English Core Cities and the most populous city in South West England.

Bristol received a Royal Charter in 1155 and was granted County status in 1373. From the 13th century, for half a millennium, it ranked amongst the top three English cities after London, alongside York and Norwich, on the basis of tax receipts, until the rapid rise of Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester during the Industrial Revolution in the latter part of the 18th century. It borders the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire, and is also located near the historic cities of Bath to the south east and Gloucester to the north. The city is built around the River Avon, and it also has a short coastline on the Severn Estuary, which flows into the Bristol Channel.

Bristol is the largest centre of culture, employment and education in the region. Its prosperity has been linked with the sea since its earliest days. The commercial Port of Bristol was originally in the city centre before being moved to the Severn Estuary at Avonmouth; Royal Portbury Dock is on the western edge of the city boundary. In more recent years the economy has depended on the creative media, electronics and aerospace industries, and the city centre docks have been regenerated as a centre of heritage and culture. There are 34 other populated places on Earth named Bristol, most in the United States, but also in Peru, Canada, Jamaica and Costa Rica, all presumably commemorating the original.

The current home to Concorde 213 is in a temporary location, with local organisations and companies supporting the bid for building a major aviation heritage centre, where Concorde 216 would be safely under cover as the centre-piece of displays and exhibits that detail the story of the region’s long-standing role in the world of aerospace.

British Airways has leased Concorde 216 to Airbus UK, who campaigned hard to bring the aircraft back to Filton. The Bristol Aero Collection, a local aviation preservation charity which looks after much of Filton’s aviation heritage at Kemble (near Cirencester), is managing Concorde at Filton through its team of enthusiastic and hard working volunteers.

Visits must be pre-booked; for short-notice bookings and possible same-day availability, telephone Concorde at Filton on 0117 936 5485 (not available on Mondays).

Concorde at Filton is the operating name of BAC Trading Ltd (company number 5078738, registered in England), and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bristol Aero Collection (company number 02689238 registered in England) a registered charity (number 1010632). The registered office for both companies is Concorde at Filton, PO Box 77, Bristol BS99 7AR

It goes without saying that some of England’s greatest gifts are its well-kept, historic buildings. A quick glance across the Atlantic makes this all too clear, as places like the United States can only boast buildings with an age of 250 years.

Bristol is no stranger to beautiful, historic buildings, having around 100 Grade I listed buildings, including churches, homes, old markets and schools.

A World without Historical Architecture

It seems hard to imagine an England without these buildings and consequently, they tend to fall under our radar when we are searching for the perfect place to take a date. It is a shame that we do forget because these buildings and monuments are not only beautiful, but often have free or cheap entrance fees, and offer special events (It must be said that these events are most definitely more intellectually stimulating than the latest romantic comedy starring whatever new leggy blonde is popular in Hollywood).

Some personal favourites in Bristol include the Red Lodge Museum, St. Mary Redcliffe and the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Taking Part in History

These buildings have housed some of Britain’s most famous individuals, the movers and shakers who shaped this country into what it is today. Thus, it is a wonderful opportunity to show your date how special it is to live in Bristol and to take part in the continued making of that history.

If it is a sunny day, why not take that special someone out to one of the historic squares or have a picnic on one of the estates that surround the city. On a rainy day, visit some of the churches and see the architecture of the 12^th century.

Bristol Dating

Bristol dating needn’t be mundane or bound to the traditional dinner and a movie schism. Whether you met on a dating site, in a café, or through friends it can be exciting to explore the past. Visiting a place that means something will show your date that you can do more than choose a good bottle of red wine and laugh at slapstick humour in the cinema.