Local young people are being invited to participate in a dance performance which will be shown live at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in Australia in April.
The event, showcasing Birmingham and the West Midlands, will see a mass dance performance – choreographed by Northfield’s Rosie Kay – by the 2,022 selected 16 to 25 year olds screened live to around a billion viewers worldwide as part of the handover ceremony at the 2018 games.
The performance will take part in a secret city centre location, giving the world a glimpse of what our energetic and diverse city will have to offer when it hosts the Commonwealth Games in 2022.
Northfield based Rosie Kay will choreograph the performance which will beam live to the Carrara Stadium on Sunday April 15th.
Rosie said: “I am hugely exited and inspired by what this Commonwealth Games can do and say about young people and Birmingham today.
“It’s a fantastic challenge and opportunity both for myself and for the young people that will sign up to be part of this welcome to Birmingham.
“Dance is about challenging perceptions and exciting audiences and what better way to bring Birmingham to life across the world than with a choreographed, fun, mass dance performance!”
“A real opportunity to showcase what a super diverse, young and fun place Birmingham is!” – Handover ceremony choreographer @rosiejkay on why everyone should get involved when the Commonwealth Games comes to Birmingham! pic.twitter.com/CaUKT2M3Cv
— Visit Birmingham (@visit_bham) March 7, 2018
Other local artists taking part in the ceremony are film-maker Daniel Alexander, from Oldbury, and rapper Lady Sanity, from Erdington.
Daniel, who is producing a short film for the ceremony, said: “This is an amazing opportunity for one of my films, celebrating my home town of Birmingham, to be viewed by a global audience. I want to showcase the people and the places that make our city so distinct and show the world that the only place they want to hang out in 2022 is Birmingham.”
Lady Sanity said: “This is a real moment for Birmingham to show the world who we are and what our city is about and to be asked to be part of that is huge. I hope I can be a voice for all the young people in Birmingham as we invite the world to join us in 2022.”
Gary Topp, CEO of Culture Central, said: “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for young people aged 16 – 25 to be part of a global celebration of Birmingham and to take the lead in introducing Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games to the world.
“We urge young people to join Daniel Alexander, Lady Sanity and Rosie Kay in celebrating their city as they perform to an estimated audience of 1 billion people.”
Who can take part?
Young people don’t need any experience to apply to take part! Applications are welcomed from experienced dancers to those with no formal training “who feel comfortable moving to music”.
- 16-25 years old
- Able to attend unaccompanied (16+ who are able to provide photo ID and emergency contact info)
- Live within one hour’s public transport travel to the city centre
- Able to commit to the following dates, all at city centre locations:
- ‘Try out’ session on either Friday 30 March, Saturday 31 March or Tuesday 3 April
- Rehearsal sessions between 7 – 11 April
- All day rehearsals (09:00 – 18:00) on Thursday 12 April, Friday 13 April and Saturday 14 April
- Performance 08:00 – 15:00 on Sunday 15 April
Local travel costs for rehearsals will be provided.
Want to take part? Sign up online now!