PERFORMERS were left disappointed when just 30 people turned up at the Albert Halls to watch them.

Hundreds of seats were left empty as compere Jason Cooke, a comedian from Manchester, did his best to create an atmosphere among the audience, mainly made up of parents of the performers.

The showcase was presented by the Bolton Arts Forum and was intended to show the public a range of arts in Bolton to reflects the town's cultural diversity.

First on were Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, a traditional Irish band. Lined up across the stage, they performed several Irish ballads which got the audience tapping their feet. Next on was North-west Asian Arts and two young girls each performed an Indian dance, the first one traditional and the second a modern Bollywood dance.

Osagyefo, a traditional African dance and drumming group, did their best to get the night going. In colourful Ghanaian dress, the group beat the drums and a group of young girls from Dance Works entertained with a traditional African dance. Leap to Your Feet had a hard act to follow but handled the pressure well to show off the Appalachian dance team, a mix of English, Scottish and Irish tap.

Next it was Dance Works, which consisted of children of all ages who are working towards exams in ballet, modern jazz and cheerleading. The teenagers gave two energetic performances and the babies of the group, all aged around five or six, showed off their pom pom routine while proud parents looked on. A scene from the new play of the Phoenix Youth Theatre, Westenders, along with a display by the Bolton Dhol Foundation, traditional Indian drumming, rounded off the show.