in partnership with The B-Bar
NEWS: Barbican Theatre, Plymouth success with BBC Arts & One Dance UK’s Dance Passion Film Commission
Part of the BBCs Dance Season 2022 being presented on BBC iPlayer and arts venues across the UK
Image: PETROL HEADZ ON TOUR at THÊ DEPØ VENUE & Millbay Boulevard 25-26 August 2021. Image credit Brett Lockwood
Barbican Theatre, Plymouth are thrilled to be one of eight companies commissioned by BBC Arts and One Dance UK to create a new dance film as part of Dance Passion 2022.
Barbican Theatre proudly proposed a groundbreaking new dance film that built upon their hugely successful Petrol Headz Project, which reached over 4,000 people this summer.
Neon Romance is a love story about engineering, imagination, hybrids and rebels. After dark, when the LED headlamps light the way and the rules want to be broken- we slip into another place where we dance on cars.
This film has one message: Passion, imagination and creativity is the recipe for love, not judgement. Across Plymouth’s modified car, street sports and dance scene: when the music starts and the night begins - everyone's soul is equal.
The piece brings 5 individuals together for a night on top of show cars - sharing grooves, headlights, and love. Afrobeat, Breaking, Chicago footwork, Contemporary and Parkour. Celebrating the neon lights, shimmering car-shells, whirring engines, and spinning bodies before pulling the audience into a slippery blurry world of light and sound.
The film will be available world-wide on BBC iPlayer and will showcase the exceptional creativity and talent in Plymouth, brought together by Laura Kriefman and the Barbican Theatre in 2021. Including Drew Shears (Chicago Footwork), MaddyV (MC), Jack Dodds (Parkour), Beryl Tebug (Afrobeat), Charlotte Eaton (Contemporary), Perry Johnson (Hip Hop and Breaking) and leading (and local!) modified car company Dip Demon. It will be filmed by Dan Martin, and choreographed by Laura Kriefman.
Along with leading names and exciting new talent, Dance Passion will feature across television, radio and online on BBC networks, stations and platforms in 2022.
Laura Kriefman, Barbican Theatre’s CEO says
“We’re so excited to be featuring Plymouth’s world-class talent as part of Dance Passion’s alongside so many brilliant companies in the UK. But mostly- I am so excited to be able to bring our extraordinarily creative team back together to make Neon Romance and continue our collaboration with the modified car scene in the Peninsula.”
Dance Passion is a collaboration between BBC Arts and One Dance UK and is supported by funding from Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants programme. BBC Arts and One Dance UK, along with BBC Connected Studio, are proud to be working with a network of dance companies, independent artists and technical providers to showcase dance talent from the UK.
It is aimed at those who love dance and those who don’t yet know they love dance.
Image: PETROL HEADZ ON TOUR at Plymouth Piazza 28 August 2021. Image credit Brett Lockwood
Lara Coffey, Head of Marketing & Communications for One Dance UK says
“The 8 films we have commissioned are an excellent collection of visual storytelling that is exciting and memorable that are up to a maximum of five minutes. These films demonstrate the breadth of possibility offered by film, through stylistic innovation, experimentation with sound, image, structure, narrative and storytelling, animation, performance, scripted drama, music or other means. Above all, each film showcases what’s best about dance created in the UK.”
As part of this celebration, BBC Arts and One Dance UK invited dance companies, independent artists, choreographers and associated technical partners to apply for funding for short form films and interactive projects which will delight existing dance lovers and bring new audiences to the art form.
With funding provided by BBC Arts and Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants programme, Dance Passion will showcase dance talent from the UK with five short films (no longer than 5 minutes each, featuring live performance, behind the scenes insights or animation) and five interactive projects using tools in BBC Connected Studio’s MakerBox suite. This opportunity was open to dance companies, independent artists, dancers and choreographers based in the UK from both the professional and non-professional sectors, along with those based in dance education and dance medicine.
Image: PETROL HEADZ ON TOUR at Plymouth Piazza 24 July 2021. Image credit Greenbeanz Photography.
For more information on other Barbican Theatre performances, projects and workshop please sign up for our email updates at barbicantheatre.co.uk or follow us on social media
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About One Dance UK
One Dance UK is a sector support organisation dedicated to enabling a stronger, more vibrant and diverse dance sector that is well-equipped to secure dance’s prominence in the cultural landscape of the future. We work to provide a voice for the dance sector and are dedicated to:
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Supporting all those working in the sector and to achieving excellence in dance performance, education and management
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Advocating for the increased profile and importance of dance in all its diverse forms and settings
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Enhancing dancers’ health, well-being and performance
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Identifying gaps, provide opportunities and improve conditions for dance to be learnt, discussed and seen
One Dance UK provides services, information and opportunities for:
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Dance artists and choreographers
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Dance teachers, educators and practitioners
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Dance managers and producers
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Dance medicine and science/research professionals
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All children and young people
About BBC Arts & BBC R&D Connected Studio
BBC Arts is responsible for the best of art and culture from the BBC. BBC Arts creates more arts programmes on radio and television than any other broadcaster, providing a stage and showcasing the very best of arts form across the country to the nation.
From ballet to breakdance, BBC Arts is proud to showcase the UK as a world leader in dance. Through entertainment, performance capture, new talent, dedicated seasons and documentaries, BBC audiences are given a front-row seat and unique insight into the wider benefits of this important art form.
BBC Arts invests in new talent through BBC Young Dancer, supporting both emerging dancers and choreographers.
Seasons such as the BBC Four Dance Season, Get Creative and BBC Introducing Arts sees BBC Arts regularly join forces with independent artists and dance companies to both watch dance and get everyone dancing and experience the health and wellbeing benefits of the art form.
BBC R&D Connected Studio
As part of the BBC's R&D department Connected Studio provides the inspiration, support and platform to help keep the BBC at the cutting-edge of online innovation, and a world leader at delivering engaging broadcast experiences. With audience needs at the forefront of development, Connected Studio devises collaboration to produce innovative digital pilots and offers access to tools, guidance and insight through MakerBox. From workshops with artists and production companies to publishing digital pilots on BBC Taster, Connected Studio provides the resource needed to reach audiences in new and diverse digital ways.
About Arts Council England
Arts Council England (ACE) is the national development agency for creativity and culture. They have set out their strategic vision in Let’s Create that by 2030 they want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high quality cultural experiences. ACE invest public money from Government and The National Lottery to help support the sector and to deliver this vision. www.artscouncil.org.uk
Following the Covid-19 crisis, the Arts Council developed a £160 million emergency response package, with nearly 90% coming from the National Lottery, for organisations and individuals needing support. Find out more at www.artscouncil.org.uk/covid19
For any queries regarding Dance Passion press, please contact bbcarts@bbc.co.uk and comms@onedanceuk.org