Border Crossings to Release Stream of Contemporary Dance REMEMBRANCES

Intercultural theatre and arts company Border Crossings has announced that REMEMBRANCES, a collaborative dance performance from contemporary Indigenous dance artist b.solomon//ELECTRIC MOOSE and UK-based AVA DANCE COMPANY will be made available to stream from the 28th July 2022. Originally performed at Birmingham 2022 Festival, the biggest celebration of creativity ever in the region and one of the largest ever Commonwealth Games cultural programmes, this mesmerising dance piece forms part of the company's ORIGINS Festival that has offered a space for Indigenous people to share their cultures in Britain since 2009. Released concurrently with the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, the piece acts as a prelude to the games and provides an alternative ceremony of welcome to Indigenous people.

As Birmingham prepares to host the long-awaited 2022 Commonwealth Games, REMEMBRANCES reflects on the challenging history of colonial injustices and asks how we can offer a genuine welcome to First Nations people from Commonwealth countries. The piece explores how contemporary Britain has moved from being an imperial centre to a multicultural space, and how the nation can open itself up to a proper, equal exchange with the people whose lands it once colonised.

Artistic Director Michael Walling comments: This commission from Birmingham 2022 has allowed us to work in a completely new way, creating a call and response structure between two dance companies, operating on different continents. It meant that the cross-cultural encounter at the heart of the piece was absolutely real - and that the sense of healing that emerged was a powerful testament to what performance can achieve in these turbulent times.

Supported by DanceXchange, REMEMBRANCES brings together diverse artists from the Midlands and First Nations Canada in dialogue. The visceral and poignant dance showcases the power of the art form to move and drive essential conversations about our shared histories. It will be made available to all on the Border Crossings Youtube channel from 6 pm on the 28th July 2022.

Commissioned as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival and generously supported by the Canada Council of Arts and the High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom.

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