Hordes of little people skipped, leaped, played and sang in St John’s as part of a youth music and culture project.

The Bree Manx Music initiative held its ’Big Bree Weekend’ featuring more than 30 children engaged in Manx traditional music, dance, singing, drama and story-telling.

During the weekend the children spent two days at the Methodist Hall, working on songs and routines inspired by the Manannan’s Charms concept, created by Culture Vannin.

The children were separated into four groups based around four ’cleins’, called Fenodyree, Fer-Obbee, Fer-Marrey or Mooinjer Veggey, and wrote and created their own performance based around such fairy tales as ’The Lazy Wife’, along with writing their own songs and creating new musical arrangements around traditional Manx folk music.

’It was a fun weekend,’ said Chloe Woolley, who organised the weekend.

’The kids got to create new things with material that is old and, in a way, it makes it more relevant to them.

’But it is also about kids getting together, having fun and making new friends, as well as learning new songs, tunes and stories.

’Everything we did was working towards the final show, which is always fun to do.’

by Mike Wade

Twitter:@iomnewspapers