EVERY year Farnham Maltings receives 400,000 visits from people taking part in a diverse range of activities that can include anything from donating blood to watching live music. Over the next few weeks The Dance Movement, which is based at the Maltings will be seeking visitors’ interest in an ambitious new project.

Everyday People is the brainchild of Sally-Marie a professional director and choreographer from Sweetshop Revolution.

The aim of the project will be to connect some of the hundreds of people who visit the Maltings with each other and the creative process of theatre-making.

This will be achieved by inviting eight interested people to learn how to make a dance. The project is open to any Farnham resident who has a simple desire to tell a story. They will not be required to dance and should have little or no prior knowledge of dance-making.

During April and May 2016, the fledgling choreographers will spend two hours a week working with Sally-Marie and five professional dancers. The chosen eight will be shown how to turn their ideas and stories into a series of movements. At the end of the project, the professional dancers will perform each of the eight short dances.

Rachel Palmer, programme director at The Dance Movement, said: “Everyday People is a new approach to dance which aims to demystify and open up the perceived closed-world of choreography. Instead of us taking the traditional approach and putting on a ready-made performance for an audience with an established interest in dance, we are entering the unknown.

“By bringing together professional dancers and people who are unaffiliated to dance we will show how this art form can be used to tell everyday stories to which everyday people can relate. The end result will be a tailor-made event that has been created by the people of Farnham for the people of Farnham.

“We hope our eight choreographers will share their experiences with their friends and family and that this will open up dance to an even wider and more diverse range of people in the communities in and around Farnham.”

Anybody who would like to register their interest in taking part in Everyday People should contact rachel@thedance

movement.co.uk by Wednesday, December 30.