Moving Earth is a lively dance project taking place across the West Midlands this summer as part of Dancing for the Games.
sampad is uniting more than 200 dancers from across the West Midlands on Saturday 2 June for an exciting and visually-spectacular performance as part of Birmingham’s Big Jubilee Weekend, a 4 day extravaganza of music and entertainment taking place in the city centre to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
The dancers have all been taking part in one of sampad’s biggest projects to date – MOVING EARTH – a lively dance project taking place this summer as part of Dancing for the Games which is inspired by London 2012 and part of the Cultural Olympiad in the West Midlands. Dancing for the Games has been funded by Legacy Trust UK, which is creating a lasting impact from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by funding ideas and local talent to inspire creativity across the UK, as well as Arts Council England and Advantage West Midlands.
sampad has brought together 240 dancers (20 groups of 12) from across the region for the project, representing a dazzling array of styles including Bollywood, Bhangra, Indian folk dance, hiphop and contemporary African and UK dance.
Some of the groups are made up of dancers with little, or no previous dance experience, who have come together especially for MOVING EARTH, while others are established, professional dance groups. Collectively, the groups cover a wide range of ages, cultural backgrounds, dance styles and abilities – reflecting and celebrating the diversity of the West Midlands.
Under the direction of Delhi-based choreographer and dancer Santosh Kumar Nair, the groups have developed new routines exploring MOVING EARTH’s central theme of ecology, taking inspiration from the elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water and Space.
Some of the groups will add a unique twist to their routine in the form of high-energy moves taken from Indian martial-arts based dance (similar to Brazilian capoeira).
Director of sampad South Asian arts, Piali Ray OBE says:
“We are delighted to be marking the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with this vibrant performance. We’re so proud of all of MOVING EARTH dancers and dance groups – they’ve all brought a lot of spirit, energy and enthusiasm to the project and proved that they are real ‘forces of nature’!”
Lead choreographer , Santosh Kumar Nair adds:
“The dedication, commitment and talent of all of the dancers has helped to bring Moving Earth alive. It’ll be a truly impressive sight to see all of them coming together in their colourful costumes and showcasing their different dance styles. They’ll definitely wow the crowd with this performance!”
Members of each of the groups have also taken part in ‘leadership’ training as part of MOVING EARTH, allowing them to develop new project management and marketing skills which they can carry forward after the project.
All of the Moving Earth dancers will come together in Birmingham’s Chamberlain Square at 2.45 pm on Saturday 2 June for a colourful and visually-striking free performance.
The Moving Earth groups will also perform in Cannon Hill Park on 30th June, as part of a day of celebrations to mark the arrival of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay in Birmingham.
You can see more information about Moving Earth here, or contact sampad on 0121 446 3260 or info@sampad.org.uk
DANCING FOR THE GAMES AND THE LONDON 2012 CULTURAL OLYMPIAD:
Dancing for the Games is part of the Cultural Olympiad in the West Midlands and is inspired by London 2012. It is a three year programme funded by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity set up to help build a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Arts Council England West Midlands and Advantage West Midlands.
Dancing for the Games uses the inspiration of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to get as many people as possible dancing across the West Midlands.
The Cultural Olympiad in the West Midlands is already touching the lives of thousands of people. To date some 930,000 people in the West Midlands have been involved in the Cultural Olympiad as audiences or participants, either as part of Open Weekend, the Inspire Programme, or through specific regional programmes. For more information about the Cultural Olympiad in the West Midlands, please visit, www.wmfor2012.com/culture Legacy Trust UK is an independent charity set up to create a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from London 2012 in communities across the UK.
The Trust is funded by a £40 million endowment from the Big Lottery Fund (£29m), Department for Culture Media and Sport (£6m) and Arts Council England (£5m), and is a Principal Funder of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival. www.legacytrustuk.org