Leith samba band and dancers secure Paralympics gig

A YOUTH samba drumming band and a city dance group are set to perform at the 
Olympic Park.

Pulse of the Place, featuring 69 city school pupils, will play alongside ten dancers from Dunedin Dance Academy today after being awarded an Inspire Award from the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (Locog).

The community band was set up in 2006 with the support of the city council’s community learning and development team. It is based at Duncan Place Resource Centre in Leith.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Community learning and development worker Rohan Seilman, 45, who runs the centre and works with the band, said: “Everyone is looking forward to performing and feels it will be something that they will remember forever.

“We have formed a project called Move to the Pulse which is based around Pulse of the Place but includes the dance element. We performed with Dunedin Dance Academy at Edinburgh’s Got Talent last year and that was the start of the partnership.”

Joanne Simpson, 15, who lives in Leith and has been a member of the band for the last 18 months, described the chance to perform at the Paralympics as the “opportunity of a lifetime”.

The fifth-year pupil at Leith Academy said: “I’m so excited, words can’t even explain. I’m kind of nervous too. Pulse of the Place is a local band that has turned into something pretty big and is performing at London 2012 – it’s crazy.”

The band will split into four groups which will play in different parts of the Olympic Park from 2pm, with the dancers performing with one of the groups before they all join together for one big performance at around 7pm.

Lord Sebastian Coe, chair of Locog, added: “Move to the Pulse is encouraging young people to fulfil their potential. I am proud that with the help of partners such as Duncan Place Resource Centre, we are delivering our vision to use the power of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to boost participation in music and dance.”