The hills of Blaenavon were alive with the sound of music and the sight of dance on Saturday, July 21, when the town’s fourth annual dance festival welcomed more than 200 participants.

The Dawns ar y Mynydd / Dance on the Mountain festival saw local and visiting groups put on spectacular exhibitions in genres ranging from belly dancing and flamenco to break and even sword dancing.

The event, organised by Welsh traditional dancers Dawnswyr Blaenafon, has grown to the extent that this year’s festival relocated from the Workmen’s Hall to a large marquee situated in the town centre’s Market Street car park.

Jack Denley Jones, Blaenavon West councillor and Dance on the Mountain organiser, said: “We were really happy. It went so well - all of the dancers really enjoyed it.

“We had people sitting around throughout the day. I would say that we had well over one thousand people there. It was a wonderful day and we can’t wait to do it again next year.”

The mainstay groups featured are Alison Lee Academy of Dance, Dawnswyr Blaenafon, Maya Fusion Belly Dancers, Jose’s Flamenco Dancers, Tiger Feet Appalachian, Cwmni Gwerin Pont-y-pwl and Blaina Line Dancers.

They were joined by a host of other teams and groups including Men of Sweyn’s Eye Morris Dancers from Swansea, Northgate Rapper sword dancers from Bath and Fusion Dance break dancers from Newport - making it over 200 dancers in the town centre on the day.

There were also stalls around the dance marquee and ‘busking’ dance sites at Bethlehem Chapel and the World Heritage Centre.

“It was the first time we had it outside and granted we can raise the money again we would love to get the marquee back,” Cllr Denley Jones added.

The marquee hire was supported by a £500 grant from both Blaenavon Leisure and Sports Trust and Bron Afon Housing, £100 from Blaenavon Town Council and donations from and fundraising by the town’s traders and residents.