Strictly no dancing in Huddersfield town centre - what do you think about King St ban for group?
Garrison Johnson and Drama Simpson
NEVER MIND Strictly Come Dancing – it’s strictly no dancing for one Huddersfield youth group.
Performing arts group Avenue2broadway Star have been told by Kirklees Council they can’t perform in the town centre tomorrow.
Group founders Garrison Johnson, 23, and Drama Simpson, 22, say they can’t see why there’s a problem because they’ve performed on King Street twice before in previous years.
Kirklees offered them an alternative venue, but they said they were unable to take it as it had nowhere to power up their equipment.
Garrison, from Sheepridge, said: "We’re a group of five and we’re all 25 and under and just trying to promote our performing arts business – but then the council have gone and told us we can’t do it.
"We’ve done it twice before so why not this time?
"We’re trying to bring something good to the community and get young people interested in performing instead of them getting into crime.
"We’re trying to inspire and redirect kids in Huddersfield towards something positive but we’re being stopped."
A spokesman for Kirklees Council confirmed that the dance group had been granted a busker’s licence in the past, but said they had been refused this year because they were planning to do something on a much larger scale.
He said: "This included street dance which would entail the laying of tumble mats in an extremely busy town centre location.
"There is a legal requirement for performances on this scale to be granted a temporary event notice, to which the police can object.
"We contacted the police on Mr Johnson’s behalf and were told they would object on safety grounds because King Street would be even busier than usual this Saturday.
"It is always packed with shoppers at the end of the school holidays, plus Huddersfield Town are playing at home."
But Garrison said he and the group were just planning on putting on a similar show to previous years which have always been on busy shopping days.
The former Salendine Nook High School pupil said: "It’s not like we would be on each other’s shoulders doing acrobatics.
"It wasn’t going to be anything too extravagant that would be dangerous to the public or anything.
"Just a few individual freestyle and street dancing performances and acting to give people a flavour of the business which we’re trying to promote.
"I’m really angry now that the council won’t let us.
"The shop, Peters, on King Street told us it was fine to perform outside their place and they were kind enough to let us use their electricity for the music."
