A TALENTED young Oldham dancer will swap the stage for a library for what promises to be an unforgettable and inventive performance.

Joe Taylor, aged 14, will join professional dancers from Company Chameleon as they take over Manchester Central Library on Friday and Saturday for a site-specific production of Illuminate featuring new dance, music and light art.

The North Chadderton pupil, who is part of the youth arm of the group, is hoping to wow the audience with his contemporary dance performance, themed around the idea of adventure and quests.

Joe, from Chadderton, said: “I’m excited to be taking part in the performance and dancing with professionals from the company.

“The performance will be unique and people will be invited to follow the performers around the library with dances focusing on comedy, romance and drama performed among the books.

“In our performance, we portray the obstacles people overcome while on a quest and we’ll have our own obstacles to look out for when we dance in the library!”

Joe, who began dancing in 2013 after seeing an advert for open dance auditions, will also perform a duet with another member of the company which will be intensely physical including lifts and jumps.

The group has also been lucky in that its music has been specifically tweaked with the composer to work perfectly with the dance.

“It’s great to know that we are the first people to ever dance to this music in this composition,” Joe said.

“When our dance intensifies, so does the music and when it slows, the music mirrors it.”

Joe, who is hoping to pursue a career in the arts and will be studying a GCSE in dance, will be one of 50 performers taking part.

The innovative Library Live commission will see the Manchester dance company take audiences to the past, present and future, beginning outside the library, on the steps and culminating in the heart of the library under the dome.

Beginning outside of the Library, on the steps between the Corinthian columns, and culminating in the heart of the Library under the dome of the Reading Room, Illuminate will take audiences on a journey of seven stories, which are told in seven different areas.

Kevin Edward Turner, Co-Director of Company Chameleon, is choreographing and directing Illuminate, and said: “The Library has always held a special place in my heart; I have always loved the architecture of the building - even when I was young, and it feels very special to be given the opportunity to bring dance into the building and create something new.

"By its very nature, the architecture will inform the seven scenes in the production. The choreography will respond to the features in the building, and the architectural form will shape and manipulate the movement of the dancers.

"It will be exciting to see dance animate the space and how moving bodies challenge audience perceptions of the Library and its purpose as a building and place to visit.”

Illuminate is supported by Arts Council England (Grants for the Arts), Manchester City Council, Manchester Central Library Development Trust, The Oglesby Charity Trust, The Granada Foundation, AGMA and Greater Manchester Arts.

Company Chameleon: Illuminate - A Journey of Seven Stories will take place at Manchester Central Library on November 24 and 25, 7pm and 9pm.

For more information visit librarylive.co.uk.