DANCE CLASSES: Hip Hop and Funky Dance with Mark Cameron

The super-talented MARK CAMERON brings his dance classes to the Borders . Hoorah! Combining stretching, technique, routine and cardio this will be the best fun you will have on a Monday night. Or any night. Based around Hip Hop and Funky Street Dance, there are classes for all ages! 

This is a drop-in class but it would be advisable to book to guarantee a space. Loyalty cards are available for all 3 classes.

Water will be provided.

Start the week off with some dancing, learn new skills and make new friends!

Classes: From 30/4  (not during Holidays)
Times: 6pm-7pm (6-11 years)
               7pm-8pm (12-16 years)
               8pm to 9pm (16+)
Price: All classes £5
Booking: dancemark@hotmail.com
              

Event: Rebel Writing Workshop with Renita Boyle

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Join writer Renita Boyle for a workshop on the theme of Rebel at Mac Arts Theatre in Galashiels. This event is suitable for writers of all levels, even if you've never tried writing before come along and engage the rebellious side of your brain!

This workshop is part of Scottish Book Trust's annual writing project, which aims to get people all over Scotland writing on a particular theme. Every story will be made available on our website and a collection of our favourite stories will be published in an eBook as during Book Week Scotland 2018 in November.

Places are limited so please book as soon as possible if you're interested in attending.

All attendees will receive a free Rebel themed notebook!

To find out more about the project, visit:

scottishbooktrust.com/rebel

Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event?
Yes, you must be at least 18 years of age to attend this workshop.

What can I bring into the event?
Feel free to bring any ideas on the theme you may have.

How can I contact the organiser with any questions?
If you have any questions email Gordon: gordon.connelly@scottishbooktrust.com

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
No, you will not have to bring a printed ticket to the event. The workshop leader will have a record of all attendees on the day.

Saturday 28th April 
Time: 1pm to 3pm
*limited spaces so book in advance*
Doors: 12:45pm
Price: £2.50
Box Office: 01896 756 852
                      www.scottishbooktrust.com

COMMUNITY HEALTH EVENT: House of Hearing Expo 2018

Do you have trouble with your hearing?

Would you like to know what solutions are available?

Then come and meet the House of Hearing team at their inaugural Borders Hearing Expo on Wednesday 9th May, 10am - 3pm at MacArts, Galashiels.

Free demonstrations of the latest hearing aid technology, experts on hand from manufacturers and charities and support from local groups.

Join us for a free cup of tea/coffee and cake and help us celebrate our 12th anniversary too.

Free entrance and goody bag! 

Wednesday 9th May 
Time: 10am to 3pm
Doors: 10am 
Box Office: www.macarts.scot
                     01896 756 852

MUSIC: Elephant Sessions

‘The versatility of Elephant Sessions is its strength. Passionate about their culture and their origins, these Scots are using their instruments like weapons to destroy clichés. ..We love them ‘ Rolling Stone Magazine

‘Absolutely superb...’ Chris Hawkins (BBC Radio 6)

‘A pyrotechnic highlight of the Soiree d’Ouverture d’Ecosse’ (Festival Interceltique de Lorient) Songlines Magazine

‘All We Have Is Now is an album evocative of lazy days and party nights’ - Folk Radio UK

2017 has been a remarkable year for Elephant Sessions. The band who hail from the Highlands of Scotland and who met at the Newcastle University Folk degree have exploded onto the indie folk scene with unparalleled effect.

The release of their album ‘All We Have is Now’ in June of this year, was followed by live appearances at some of Europe’s most notable festivals. Audiences crowd surfed their way through the summer and marquee floors broke under the weight of bouncing fans.

The Mercury nominated Alt J, along with BBC Radio 6 found themselves converted to the band’s unique brand of indie folk. Reviews from Rolling Stone Magazine sat alongside folk magazine coverage. Radio features accompanied documentaries and highlights shows on television stations.

Charting in the French download charts and selling bucket loads across Europe ‘All We Have is Now’ has firmly established this band as completely unique.
Elephant Sessions transcend boundaries and shake the very foundations of expectation. 

Sunday 27th May
Doors: 7:30pm
Tickets: £10 
01896 7568523
​www.macarts.scot
​
www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/438618





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THEATRE: Shattered by In Motion Theatre Company
​

Shattered, a new play written by Lisa Nicoll. 
 
Inspired by interviews and life experiences, Shattered deals with the universal themes of grief, loss and isolation as well as the things that are left unsaid between the people to whom we are sometimes the closest.
 
Three years on from the sudden death of their baby, Lucy and Ben are struggling to find some kind of normality in their fractured world.   Lucy focuses, as she has for the last few months, on the people on the street who she watches day in and day out from her window, telling stories of them like a TV boxed set. She wants to be part of it all again. She wants to be close to Ben again.  Ben wants to be close to her and tries through humour and dancing to do this.
 
Lucy watches cafe owner Tom from the window; he is someone who used to be her friend, who visited her, who she confided in but who hasn’t acknowledged her for months.  He knows that she is there but he cannot speak to her or wave.
 
Left alone for a few days in the flat Lucy has an encounter with stranger Katy which begins her reconnection with life.
 
The cast comprises Nicola Roy (Lucy), Gavin Jon Wright (Ben), Kirsty Findlay (Katy) and Nebli Basani (Tom).  Shattered is directed by Jordan Blackwood with lighting by Laura Hawkins, sound by Alan Orr and set and costume design by Fraser Lappin. 


Shattered is produced by In Motion theatre company in association with Paisley Arts Centre and funded by The National Lottery.

Wednesday 26th May
Time: 7:30pm
Doors: 7pm
Tickets: £10/£18
Box Office: 01896 756 852
                      www.macarts.scot

www.inmotiontc.co.uk/shattered
​ 

MUSIC: The Jensen Interceptors and Friends

Honouring a promise to the great Scottish blues legend Tam White, Gary Martin formed The Jensen Interceptors. They are a five piece band playing in the classic Blues Style. Fronted by in-demand and much lauded harmonica ace and vocalist Gary Martin, the band tear through a mix of covers by the likes of Slim Harpo, Little Walter and Muddy Waters all which are all given that authentic Jensen fever, original compositions show a faith to the wide blues genre while taking on an original spin.
The pedigree of this band is highly impressive and unrivalled; although all the musicians have performed a wide range of styles, there is a unity in their love of the blues. With scintillating and inventive guitar provided by the highly-respected John Bruce (Blues ‘N’ Trouble, Safehouse), rock- solid bass lines from Rod Kennard (Blues ‘N’ Trouble), Richard ‘ Snakehips’ O’Donnell (Mud In Your Ear...as well as his hugely successful solo performances) provides Otis Spann style piano and soulful Hammond all underpinned by dynamic, yet subtle rhythms come from the drums of the versatile and highly respected Jim Walker (Ceolbeg, Rootsie Tootsie Blues Band)...there are numerous successful drummers in Scotland who put on to their CV’s that they have been students of Jim Walker.
This band knows how to shift through the gears with enthusiasm and panache, moving from a whisper to a scream and back again to stunning effect. Regular sold-out gigs and triumphant festival shows, as well as a prestigious support to Mud Morgan held at the 2013 Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival (and regular appearances at EJBF 2014-2016) have established The Jensen Interceptors as a top attraction on the Scottish live music circuit and cemented their reputation as a band really playing at the top of their game. The debut CD ‘File Under Blues’ received highly favourable reviews and considerable international airplay.
However....don’t just take our word for it...here are a few tributes from others...

“Gary Martin has the best harmonica tone in Britain and could certainly give our American neighbours a run for their money as well.”
Tim Elliott (Blues ‘n’ Trouble)

“Gary Martin displayed a real understanding of the music he was performing, adding his personal style to the band’s interpretation without detracting from the purist style they appeared to be aiming for”
The Scotsman

“The Jensen Interceptors play as a band. Tight, energetic, enthusiastic... This is Blues with a touch of Swing, a bit of Jazz and a lot of soul... These guys are good...really good!! They were at their very best with their heads down going for it: a wall of sound that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up”
The Southern Reporter

Licensed bar open throughout the evening.

​After the success of their last gig @ MacArts, we expect this to sell out quickly so early booking is highly advisable! 

Saturday 2nd June
Time 7:30pm
Doors: 7pm 
Tickets: £10
www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/489198

Box Office: www.macarts.scot/ 01896 756 852 
Over 14s gig (14-16 year olds must be accompanied by an adult over 18 years)

This is a standing event- if you have mobility issues, please contact a member of the MacArts Team who will make alternative arrangements for you!

MUSIC: Acoustic Gallagher 

Acoustic Gallagher will be playing at MacArts as part of a Scottish Tour.

Celebrating the songwriting talents of Noel Gallagher and playing well-known classics and B-sides from Oasis and High Flying Birds including 'Wonderwall' , 'Champagne Supernova' , 'The Masterplan', 'What a Life', 'If I Had a Gun', and of course, 'Don't Look Back in Anger'.

Played in a laid back and ambient style in this fantastic venue with a licensed bar open throughout the gig.

Band line-up
Craig Murray (vocals)
Mark Sheridan (guitar)
Stevie Turnbull (acoustic)
Stuart Wilson (percussion)
Terry Colwell (harmonica)

Friday 13th July 
Starts: 8pm (doors 7:30pm)
Tickets: £10
Box Office: 01896 756852
                       www.macarts.scot
                       www.acoustic-gallagher.band

                     www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/483994

Music: Claude Bourbon - Spanish and Medieval Blues

Ready for a unique and talented take on a wide range of musical traditions? Claude Bourbon is known throughout Europe and America for amazing guitar performances that take Blues, Spanish, and Middle Eastern stylings into uncharted territories.
 
Claude’s inimitable style incorporates all five digits on each hand dancing independently but in unison, plucking, picking and strumming at such speed and precision that his fingers often seem to melt into a blur. Thousands of people in the UK, Europe and USA have enjoyed listening to this virtuoso and for the majority of his audience it is an experience that compels them to return again and again to hear and watch him play, as his fingers lightly dance over the strings of his guitar and create a unique sound that is ’Claude’.
 
It is very hard to describe the almost endless amalgam of different influences in Claude's playing, all melting into each other, as he moves from classical openings, across a whole continent of cultural roots, from the Balearic’s to the Balkans, and then across to the Mississippi Delta, and shoehorned into all that is music that would not have been out of place in the courts of Emperors and Kings. 
 
Claude Bourbon weaved his songs through the audience as if on a journey through life taking in different flavours of Europe and beyond. His Spanish medieval blues evolved into Gypsy, Eastern European, with a splash of Paco de Lucia, Delta Blues and more. Holding audience attention under a musical spell.
It's not easy to begin to describe the breadth or mastery of the music you will hear if you are fortunate to catch one of Claude’s gigs, it is a sort of sensory experience like no other. A top master of his craft and never appearing to be rushed, he has impeccable timing and makes things that one can only marvel at seem simple.
 
Now based in the UK, some of this guitarists’ influences allow us a fascinating insight into this remarkable musician; Paco De Lucia: Deep Purple’s Richie Blackmore; Joaquin Rodrigo; JJ Cale; JS Bach….
 
Claude has played countless venues, including Glastonbury Festival, Isle of Wight Festival, Colne Great British & Blues Festival, Rock O'Z Aren ,  Avenches, Switzerland, among others. He has shared the stage in Europe and the USA with countless musicians, Calvin Russel, Charlie Morgan (Elton John, Gary Moore), Jan Akkerman (Focus), Steve Grossman (Miles Davis), Herbie Armstrong ( Van Morisson), Jose barrense Dias and many more.
 
Experience an evening of exploration in the unique ambiance of the Thumb!
 
“ Claude Bourbon is a unique figure today… his playing is almost indescribable“ - The Hook, Charlottesville, USA
 
"Never heard anyone get that much beautiful sound out of a J-45", Bob, Tucson, AZ
 
“A breathtaking acoustic fusion of blues, jazz, folk, classical and Spanish guitar from a stunning guitar virtuoso…”Altadena News, USA”
 
“…This accomplished artist offers tender, compelling performance through highly developed precision. His sound instantly creates ambience – from haunting Spanish moods to lyrical, romantic jazz, Claude Bourbon provides both a rich evening of music for lovers, and a real treat for music lovers…”
BBC, UK
 
"...His fingerpicking is exquisite and if I closed my eyes I could clearly hear two guitars playing. Just when I recogngnised a theme he moved on with a mesmerising cascade of notes which kept on flowing. He added a driving bass, for a version of “She knows how to stretch it”. By the time he sang the first verse he had ‘stretched it’ from Spain to the Caucuses, and from the concert hall to the bar room. His forte is obviously his wonderful guitar work, but he does occasionally burst into song and what you then get is something between Bob Dylan and Cat Stevens, combined with a French accent! C’est magnifique.” Dave Baily
 
Sunday 26th August
Time: 7:30pm
Doors: 7pm
Tickets: £12/£10
Box Office: www.macarts.com
                      01896 756 852
​Over 14s gig 
Licensed Bar                 

Club Night: Kitten Casino

!Kitten Casino was established in 2011 by Trisha & Bruce Wagener and since then they have been having regular events throughout Scotland with visitors coming from as far afield as Spain!  
 
Kitten Casino is an exciting and amaaaazing club night full of fantastic people who love to dance to original sixties vinyl with a mixture of classic mod, soul, northern soul, r&b, boogaloo and original ska.  With the colourful set up at Kitten Casino you will not be disappointed. 
 
Resident DJs and guest DJs from all over the UK and beyond will keep you on your feet or you can take it easy in the chill out area that overlooks the dance floor.  You will get to hear various tunes to keep you entertained and meet a real friendly bunch of people in this incredible venue!
 
We don't have a strict dress policy but we do dress to impress.  All we ask is that you come along and enjoy yourselves. 
 
We look forward to welcoming you if this is your bag, cats! 

Saturday 15th September
Time: 7pm to 12am 
Tickets: £6 (available on door so get along early)
DRESS TO IMPRESS!
Over 18s only
Licensed Bar

Music: Turin Brakes + support

www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/495103
After an impressive 19 years together, seven studio albums and over a million records sold worldwide, they might be excused a bit of downtime. But no…….the estimable London 4-piece Turin Brakes released their eighth studio album ‘Invisible Storm’ in January 2018 on Cooking Vinyl.
 
The band - founder members Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian, along with long-time bandmates Rob Allum and Eddie Myer - returned to their favourite bolthole Rockfield Studios in the Monmouth Valley where with producer Ali Staton they could absorb the vibes left hanging in the air by a long line of musical mavericks, sit down at the piano where Freddie recorded ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and let the music take shape, revealing the next stage in the journey.
 
Invisible Storm is big-picture music played on a small screen, refracted through lyrics that embrace the personal and the universal. Formed in Balham South London, Turin Brakes released their Mercury Music Prize nominated debut album The Optimist in 2001 followed by Ether Song in 2003 which featured the top 5 hit single Pain Killer (Summer Rain). One of the finest indie bands of the last decade with 7 top 40 hits to their name Turin Brakes are a band that’s weathered many Invisible Storms, are sure of who they are and what they’ve set out to do, and know that there’s always a story left to tell…
 
www.turinbrakes.com

Saturday 27th October 
Time: 8pm
Doors: 7:30pm
Tickets: £20 (+ bf)
Box Office: beyondpresents.co.uk
​                      01896 756 852

(we will have a limited number of tickets                                                        available in-house so early booking                                                                  advisable!)

Licensed Bar 
This is an over 14s gig- 14 to 17 years must be accompanied by an over 18