EveryBody Dancing at Birmingham Festival 23

On Sunday 30 July we led EveryBody Dancing, a fresh and exciting programme of amazing dance, as part of Birmingham Festival 23 – the 10 day festival showcasing the City’s rich cultural offer, echoing the city-centre experience of last year’s Commonwealth Games.

Celebrating Birmingham, Poet Laureates Casey Bailey and Iona Mandal were commissioned by FABRIC to accompany and celebrate the diverse dance community of Birmingham through their words. Casey Bailey has been the Poet Laureate 21- 22 and Iona Mandal is the Young Poet Laureate 23-24.

The Programme

Our day started filled with amazing performances featuring artists and communities from our region, including :

Parade – The Giant Wheel by Autin Dance Theatre – A unique blend of contemporary storytelling, striking physicality and innovative large designs to transport audiences and communities along a carefully choreographed procession
The Twelve by Future Shift and FABRIC’s Centre for Advanced Training Students – which sees 12 dancers unite for a celebratory performance showcasing individuality and the power of togetherness
What the Eye Sees by Linden Youth – A piece exploring the impact that visual perception or cultural stereotypes can have in the struggle of fighting against the tide of mass judgement.
Bollywood Spectacular by Aspire Dance – Experience the captivating realm of Bollywood with dazzling costumes and lively Bollywood music
You’re Out of this World by LYNNEBEC – with their infectious energy and special space disco dance routine, the Astro Groovers train up eager recruits to help them in their quest to discover the greatest party of all time!

The highlight of the day was a joyful performance of Solara by the incredible Critical Mass Dance Collective, the inclusive dance company featuring an integrated cast with people identifying as D/deaf, Disabled and non-disabled. Members of the CMDC were previously seen dancing their way through key moments of the Birmingham 2022 Festival and the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.

Solara was directed by ZoieLogic Dance Theatre, commissioned by FABRIC supported by the Dance Leaders Group and funded by United by 2022 Legacy Charity.

Despite late afternoon rain, the programme continued indoors and we are so grateful to our friends at B:Music for providing their space. Audiences were treated to performances:

UNBOXED by Linden Dance Company – an explosive outdoor duet in which the dancers set themselves in opposition to two giant wooden cubes in a physical representation of their battle with prejudice and judgemet
Hope in a Barrel by O’Driscoll Collective – (made in Birmingham) brings live music and a multigenerational all-male cast in a raw, authentic breakin’ and hip hop performance that showcases the power of movement
ReTwist Jam dance battle – A dance battle with a twist, where battlers will spin the ReTwist wheel to pick the music they will battle to. The winner was Gaz. The prize is a guest pass to Litefest 23 and a guest invitation to the All Styles category.
The Big FATT Dance Party from Fatt Projects, featuring live vocals, and a killer soundtrack.