DANCE meets painting in the first ever live arts event to be held at the Duchy Square Centre for Creativity in Princetown, which is the curtain raiser to a brand new exhibition. 

Dance artist Rachel Sweeney is joining visual artist Mike Juggins for a private view  of painting, film, photography and dance to be held tomorrow (Friday) in the gallery of the centre, which is making a dramatic contribution to the regeneration of Princetown and surrounding Dartmoor. 

Both Rachel from Plymouth and Mike from Ashburton will present a dance and paint improvisation with a live soundtrack for invited guests in the gallery, where Mike is staging his own oil paintings drawing and mixed media work exhibition, The Paint is the Narrative. 

The exhibition will be open to the public with free admission from June 5 to 21.

 His exhibition is a unique interactive event as Mike — who is dyslexic and has gained an international reputation lecturing on dyslexia — will be inviting visitors to help in the creative process by actually painting with him in the gallery space.

The exhibition will also feature inspirational film presentations on dyslexia.

 Meanwhile, as well as their joint paint/dance presentation, Rachel — a dancer, writer and researcher who explores creative connections between movement, site and performance — will be showing her short dance film entitled Thresh, as the evening puts the spotlight firmly on the relationship between painting and movement improvisation.

 The launch evening will also include Body Topographics, an exhibition of stunning photographic works by Devon based photographer Kevin Clifford, who specializes in art photography.

His work features the local performance collective ROCKface whose highly individual and creative work explores the links that exist between the body and its environment.

Set against the dynamic backdrop of Dartmoor, the series of movement images offer an amazing insight into the relationship between the body and the landscape.

The Duchy Square Centre for Creativity is managed and operated by Integria Ltd, the creative consultancy which is helping to nurture artistic talent by providing a diverse range of practitioners with an outlet to promote and sell their work.

Supported by a number of organisations, including Duchy of Cornwall and Devon County Council, the centre offers low cost, workshop space on two floors and is helping to boost the local economy by connecting creative businesses with key industry sectors.