ASPIRING dancers are being urged to take part in an exciting day of dance at Malvern Theatres next month.

Raising The Roof is a chance to move mind and body, organised by Birmingham-based DanceXchange, on Sunday, November 26.

A series of dance companies will hold workshops in an eclectic mix of styles, and there will be a range of performances.

Dance styles covered will include jazz, African and contemporary, and the minimum age for all of them is 14.

One of the highlights will be a chance to try out capoeria, a Brazilian fusion of dance and martial arts.

The workshop will be led by Marcos dos Santos, who has featured in a recent TV commercial for Nokia mobile phones, dancing on a beach.

And there will also be a chance to funk it up cinematic-style with Bollywood dance, the latest craze where East meets West as South Asian dance collides with disco.

The event runs from 11am to 6pm and is followed by a screening of the classic movie Fame in the cinema. It costs £8, including the film. For booking and further information, call 01684 892277.

Before Raising The Roof, there will be two free full-day workshops taking place. Hosted by DanceXchange development officer Anna Brown, the events are aimed at creating a "site-specific" dance piece which will be performed on the day.

She said: "The idea is to create a piece based on the theatre, its architecture, setting and history, whatever the participants bring to the workshops.

"It is for anyone who is interested and wants to have a go; you don't have to be a trained dancer; what we are looking for is enthusiasm. But you do have to be 20 or over."

The workshops are on Sundays, November 12 and 19. To enrol, call Anna Elliott on 01684 569256.