Young people from across Warwick district offered the chance to dance on the world stage
Applications are now open to young people aged 16-30 from across Warwick district to be part of Critical Mass 2022 dance and movement collective, a unique opportunity to be involved in some of the biggest events of 2022, including the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games opening and closing ceremonies.
Participants will learn new dance styles, meet other young dancers and work with professional dancers to create and participate in a wide variety of performances.
Sessions and rehearsals will take place across the West Midlands, with a range of Summer Camps taking place during August where participants can find out more about the project and begin their journey with this exciting project. Summer Camps will take place across the region including Birmingham city centre, Selly Oak, Royal Leamington Spa, Shrewsbury, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Coventry and Worcester.
Summer camps are taking place at Motionhouse’s Spencer Yard studio in Royal Leamington Spa, on Sunday 15 August at 11am and Thursday 26 August at 6pm. To sign up visit criticalmass22.org.uk.
Liam Bartlett, Warwick District Council Portfolio Holder for Culture, Tourism and Leisure said:
“Critical Mass 2022 is a fantastic opportunity for young dancers in the district to be part of the Commonwealth Games cultural programme next year with the chance to be involved in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of B2022 next July. It will be great to see some of the district's brilliant young performers taking part.”
Raidene Carter, Executive Producer for Culture Programme and Live Sites at Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games said;
“This is a truly once in a lifetime opportunity for young people from across the West Midlands to be involved in some of the biggest events to ever take place in our region.
“We are on the lookout for a truly diverse collective who represent Birmingham’s vibrant communities with an enthusiasm for creating memorable moments for spectators to enjoy on a regional, national and international scale.
“This August, we look forward to welcoming hundreds of young people to our Summer Camps and beginning this unique journey together - I encourage all of those interested to sign up online today.”
Alex Henwood, Head of Participation at DanceXchange, the Birmingham based dance organisation that is the lead delivery partner for Critical Mass, added,
“We’re working to make Critical Mass 2022 a truly welcoming, empowering and fully accessible project and we’re so excited to be launching our Critical Mass Summer Camps.
“Participants don’t need to have any previous dance experience and we are particularly keen to hear from young people who self-identify as disabled and/or from Black, Asian or mixed ethnicities.
“The Summer Camp programme will be a mixture of online and in-person sessions, and we recommend that participants take part in at least one of each type to get the full Critical Mass experience.”
Critical Mass 2022 is a unique collaboration between Arts Connect, Birmingham 2022, DanceXchange and the Dance Development Leaders Group (DDLG), a dedicated network of 70+ dance organisations across the West Midlands who are passionate about developing dance participation.
The project is a part of the Birmingham 2022 cultural programme and made possible thanks to generous support from Spirit of 2012, the London 2012 legacy funder that invests in projects which help people feel better about themselves, others and their communities.
