Welcome to our programme of events for 2007 As last year, we shall be presenting a season of outdoor Enchanted Evenings around Manchester, in the beautiful Castlefield Arena and in one of our favourite parks Platt Fields, in Fallowfield. And in addition, we are working with other organisations to present events and festivals here and in their towns; and occasionally we are able to hold our own special projects. In all, we aim to give the greatest enjoyment and pleasure to the largest range of people ... our slogan as always remains. all ages ... all cultures ... all weekend! Here is the programme in date order. This is followed by detailed information on each project, with the Enchanted Evenings listed together, followed by other events.
Friday May 11 and Sat May 12
A woman awakes to find herself frozen and tethered in a snow-covered desert. The only evidence of how she came to be here is a wrecked car. As she gathers her thoughts, the inhabitants of this wilderness emerge and dissolve in the whiteness - alarming and engaging, propelling her forward and hemming her in.Cocooned within an igloo-like dome and equipped with your own personal stereo, you join the woman on her journey as she attempts to make an escape. Funny, disturbing and moving, Waylaid transports you to a starkly optimistic inner world. You will be seated in a large dome erected outdoors. Please dress for outdoors. The show lasts 70 minutes with no interval. Suitable for adults and children over 14. For more information on the show: We are presenting this powerful show in association with Contact Theatre and the Futuresonic festival. The Futuresonic Festival of Sonic pleasure and Audiovisual Arts takes place around Contact Theatre all weekend May 11 - 13. For information on other events at Contact Theatre
Friday June 1, Saturday June 2 and Sunday June 3 Friday 7 - 11pm; Saturday 5 - 11pm; Sunday 1 -6pm
This year we run for longer, with a larger programme of outdoor theatre, music, dance, circus, strolling musicians, games and activities from the UK and abroad. You can watch and listen, make things, or go boating and canoeing on the lake ... until nightfall when we end with two different torchlit shows ... one a tempestuous flamenco tragedy from Spanish group La Somnámbula, the other the brand new spectacle from British group Avanti Display that uses 1000 litres of water!! (don't worry it all gets recycled into the lake!) So you'll just have to come both nights .... The full programme of over 40 groups performing can be found on the xtrax showcase website. A few highlights include Ragroof's 'Shall we Dance?' - a heartwarming tale in dance of the history of bandstands through the 20th century - of special interest to people who loved dancing in parks in days gone by; tussle with the most unconventional of first aiders from St Joans Ambulance; watch acrobats leap over under and along a specially constructed bridge with Mimbre and gaze at Space Cadets' illuminated water lilies in the lake; dance to the cheesy Village Disco, come face to face with some of earth's extinct creatures (Pif Paf), learn to be truly green-fingered with Swank (who brought the girl guide camp - or was it camp girl guides? - to us some years ago)
Feast Explained ... (by one of last year’s visitors) For those of you who have forgotten or are new to Streets Ahead here is the recipe: gather your friends / family / workmates / local group / anyone else... get shopping / cooking / root out that old picnic basket and a rug or two... bring candles / lanterns / flowers / decorations etc... think of something to celebrate if you want to: friendship, birthdays, half term, weddings/civil partnerships, anniversaries, Love Your Parks Week, National Volunteers week, or simply the joys of summer or anything else you come up with... do anything else you want – make table decorations (or tree hangings), dress up, bring stories to tell, music to play, songs to sing, dances, games, jokes... and come down to Platt Fields Park lakeside for a mass picnic. Extra entertainment, activities and games provided during the hours listed, but you can come and enjoy yourselves any time all weekend. Or you don’t need to do any of the above, just come! There are food caravans, coffee and tables and chairs everywhere.... Feast will be a free open event, We shall provide a programme of the shows, on sale for £1, which we would very much encourage visitors to buy. “So impressed with numbers participating and atmosphere at the FEAST event.......you have some kind of special touch” “Thanks for your latest extravaganza. Magical as ever, Lynda and Leah (aged 3) were bewitched, wide awake last night with the wonder of the Feast. And the weather held” “I, and everyone I could see, was captivated by the tuba players floating in the boats at the end of this year's Picnic in the park” For information on all the artists performing : www.xtrax.org.uk
June 8 and 9 7.30 - 9.00pm
Formed in 1998, the company is the first true 'aerial contemporary circus' group to come out of Africa. Its dancers, musicians and acrobats hail from Guinea, a country with strong traditions in music, dance, singing and acrobatics, but with no travelling circus troupe and no experience of European aerial acrobatic techniques. _In association with Telivel Diallo, Guinea's Director of Culture, Pierrot Bidon, founder of Archaos and a leading light in the contemporary circus movement in France, set about training the artists, acrobats and musicians who would eventually take Western audiences by storm. The company takes its power from the centuries-old traditions of Guinea, which give it a powerful and particular character. This ability to preserve its heritage, whilst gaining a foreign language (benefiting from the expertise of some of France's foremost professionals in juggling, trampoline and aerial acrobatics), has generated a new and dynamic aesthetic form. The members of Circus Baobab range in age from 12 to 70 years. In 'Jumping Drums', they weave a morality tale of poverty, greed and envy that shows the temptations and allure of the city through the eyes and minds of the villagers of Balandou. The show contains several burlesque characters (a potbellied self-publicist Army Officer, a False Problems Minister and a King of Thieves...) and remains faithful to the storytelling tradition of West African comedies, caricaturing society and the establishment. The very contemporary staging portrays a Guinea between forest and town, between tradition and modernity, as the tableaux change between village and urban street. “This thrilling show - a fusion of African tradition with spectacular contemporary circus techniques - captures the imagination of both children and adults. 11 acrobats and 6 musicians fling themselves across the stage in a succession of acts: Flying trapeze, trapeze and pole duo, dance and acrobatics, juggling and contortion.” Agence France-Libre 2002 FREE WORKSHOPS WITH CIRCUS BAOBAB A co-promotion with Contact. July 14 Bal Enchanté - Fête de la Bastille 5 - 11pm
In Manchester, we are planning the first 'bal public' in the UK, as a follow up to the extremely successful presentation of Carabosse's 'Installation de Feu' in September 2006, which attracted hundreds of French nationals living in Manchester (alongside thousands of others). At its heart will be the British première of Le Petit Theatre de Pain, a 12 piece theatrical cabaret from the Basque country, who will offer a mix of cabaret, songs, music and special interventions. along with a lively dance band who will whip up the tempo, play host to the evenings' events and encourage everyone onto the dance floor. Around this will be street theatre, competitions and quizzes, food, crafts and games; participation from residents originating from Francophone nations in Africa and the Pacific, as well as France; and the whole event will take place in a specially decorated arena … complete with guillotine sans doute! We shall be presenting this event in association with the Alliance Française de Manchester. This is the the principal French language school in Manchester where teachers are native French speakers. For more information on their events and activities www.afmanchester.org
Fri 20th: 9 - 11pm; We finish our Enchanted Evening season in Eastern splendour: music and dance take centre stage in an extravaganza of colour and exuberance. Bollywood Steps is a powerful 40 minute dance performance for up to 30 dancers and live Dhol drummers. Traditional and contemporary Bollywood styles fuse with echoes of Busby Berkeley, losing none of the glitz and glamour! The dancers perform on a flight of steps and make excellent use of some outrageous props, smoke and gigantic water effects! The piece ends as nearly every Bollywood film does - with a magnificent wedding scene! The grand staircase is decorated with flowers, where the groom waits with anticipation for his bride's dramatic entrance surrounded by her family. Before each performance, we present a selection of street music and there will be Asian food and drinks available. Nutkhut (the sanskrit word for mischievous!) was formed by actor/director Ajay Chhabra and Dancer/Choreographer Simmy Gupta. Drawing on their individual backgrounds in film, classical dance, theatre and street performance, their work includes large-scale, outdoor, site specific performances, street-based theatre shows and indoor projects. Bollywood Steps was commissioned by Greenwich and Docklands International Festival and the Mayor of London; and premiered at Trafalgar Square in 2004. Original music: Niraj Chag; water effects: Michael Lister; pyrotechnics: Walk The Plank. Other Events we are working on, in partnership with others: June 9 In front of your eyes a huge vessel takes shape. Xarxa's magicians set sail and explore the deep. We pass strange creatures, winds and stars. But the modern world intrudes and the beautiful ship is overwhelmed and transformed into a polluted nightmare. But, as the Spanish are so adept at doing, we can dream … Xarxa are one of Europe's most visually extravagant and exciting companies, commissioned to present spectacular shows at key national and international events . With original music by Carles Santos, astonishing magical creations and a plethora of fireworks. Unmissable. Presented by the South Lakes Development Trust, programmed by us. August 17 - 19 PLATFORM4PICCADILLY Special programme of outdoor theatre shows, that ties into the Trafalgar Square festival, London. A GDF/x.trax presentation, with support from us. Mintfest street festival August 31, Sep 1,2 Streets Ahead-style festival around the town centre all weekend. International and British companies. Presented by Kendal Arts International (KAI), programmed by MIA; |
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