AN array of exhilarating shows captivated shoppers as a dance festival launched at Oxford's Westgate Centre.

Dancin' Oxford took over Leiden Square yesterday afternoon with a host of free shows to mark the start of its Spring Dance Festival.

Shoppers were enthralled by a range of styles from Zumba to street dance, with dozens of people stopping to watch the performances.

WATCH: Dancers wow shoppers at Westgate

The event offered a snapshot of the 10-day festival, which features workshops and shows at venues across the city and in Banbury.

Dance companies from all over the country have descended on Oxfordshire to showcase a range of styles and festival director, Claire Thompson, hopes it inspires people to find out more.

The Oxford resident said: "Events like this are so important because there are a lot of people who have never seen dance live before and they'll just happen across it.

Oxford Mail:

"They didn't plan to come into town and come and see a dance performance, but it's about bringing it to people who may never have experienced it before. We hope it might inspire some people to start dancing or see a show, when they might not have done had they not come along."

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People of all ages joined in the fun, to the delight of Botley-based instructor George Martini, who led part of the Zumba masterclass.

He said: "I work with Dancin' Oxford and we pulled the majority of the Zumba instructors together to create this great vibe.

"It shows that Zumba is for anybody. It's so good that we're in the Westgate, it's an ideal location."

Theo Fapohunda and Juliana Javier, both 25, performed their Amaranthine duet about love and relationships twice during the afternoon.

Oxford Mail:

Mr Fapohunda said: "In an environment like this, people stop and watch anything that looks out of the ordinary.

"It's really well-placed to catch people in their day-to-day business and bring some life."

One of those was Liz Porter, from Bath, who was visiting Oxford for the day and spent an hour watching the performances.

PICTURES: Oxford's dance scene down the years

She said: "I think dance is wonderful for all of us. It makes me want to get this music on when I'm alone in the house and dance myself."

Oxford resident Giles Gear compered the day's festivities and was pleased to see the performances bring people out of their shells.

He said: "We're all very British and don't like doing things in public, but you look around and there's 100 people all dancing in the middle of the Westgate.

"Everyone's getting involved - there were two 12-year-old boys going up and down the escalator for half an hour dancing."

Oxford Mail:

Yesterday's shows aimed to bring dance 'out of the theatre' and the rest of the festival is aimed at making the art form more accessible.

The eclectic programme features styles including African, contemporary and hip-hop, while some events will explore themes through dance, for example mental health.

A selection of taster workshops took place at the West Oxford Community Centre today, while the festival will end with a family Ceilidh at Cutteslowe Pavilion, north Oxford, next Sunday.

The festival, which has been running since 2007, will this year operate a hub at the Oxford Playhouse's Lucy Room from 12pm to 2pm every day, starting tomorrow.

Visit dancinoxford.co.uk for a full programme of events