Music due to stop at Yarra’s Edge
01 Mar 2011
Yarra’s Edge will lose its Sunday night free salsa dancing under a City of Melbourne plan to move the event to Waterfront City.
In response to complaints about the event, the council has enticed Dance 101 operator Cheryl Smith to move it to the Waterfront City Piazza next year.
Ms Smith said the council was offering to support and promote the event in the new location, which it believed was a more suitable site.
Dance 101 has been given permission to remain in Yarra’s Edge for the rest of the year, but the event only operates during summer and is now in recess until December.
Ms Smith said Yarra’s Edge was a wonderfully intimate location for the event and she would be sorry to move. But, if the event was not welcome at Yarra’s Edge, then she had no option but to agree to move.
Ms Smith said she believed opposition to the event at Yarra’s Edge did not reflect residents’ attitudes and was being orchestrated by nearby rival commercial interests.
She said the event was being portrayed as “lowering the tone” of the area.
“But if the council is only hearing negative things about the event, then that’s what they will believe,” Ms Smith said.
She said it was up to residents to inform the council of their views if they wanted the event to remain at Yarra’s Edge next summer.
Stay in touch with Docklands. Subscribe to FREE monthly e-Newspaper.
