Walk the Plank

Sparks will Fly

Tue 1st May to Fri 6th July

In an epic finale to their marathon journeys around Essex, two Champions come face to face for the first time to play the Game at Hylands… as Chelmsford welcomes the Olympic Torch on Friday 6 July 2012.

In the preceding weeks each Champion will be visiting towns and villages around the county, where the people of Essex will present their Champion with a glass bead filled with “the best of Essex”, as part of a Welcome Ceremony in each location.

These fourteen daytime carnival events will lead up to the finale event on Friday 6th July, where fire, fireworks, music and special effects create a breathtaking and spectacular showdown – when sparks are guaranteed to fly!

Sparks Will Fly is commissioned by Essex County Council and Chelmsford Borough Council, created by Walk the Plank working with local authorities and communities throughout Essex, and supported by Arts Council England.
Sparks Will Fly at Hylands…Chelmsford welcomes the Olympic Torch is a free ticketed event. Tickets will be available throughout Essex from February 28th 2012.

More details announced soon.

The Moment When…

Tue 1st May to Fri 31st August

Cheshire Dance and Walk the Plank are gearing up for phenomenal performance project, ‘The Moment When …’, inspired by London 2012 and celebrating The Moment When an athlete commits to becoming an Olympian.

Three site-specific performances at iconic locations in Chester, Cheshire East and Warrington will involve a range of specialist collaborators in dance, aerial work, music, light, costume, fire and pyrotechnics.

More details, as well as specific dates and times, will be announced in the coming weeks…

Games Time

Fri 1st June to Sun 30th September

East Midlands and London

Games Time is a community celebration that embraces the spirit of the Olympic Games – an exciting geographical game with the East Midlands as the board. In a “games frenzy”, board games will invade streets and parks, culminating in a giant performance starring 200 local people with dancers, breath-taking costumes, music and fireworks.

Games Time is coming to…  Loughborough, Northampton, London and Derby in 2012.

The Games Time team comprises of Lea Anderson (Artistic Director), Walk the Plank, Mahogany, QUAD, Mick McNicholas and Arts Agenda, lead by Déda Producing. The event is one of four projects funded by Legacy Trust UK, designed to create a cultural legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Check out the Games Time website, follow us on Twitter, or find us on Facebook.

Manchester Day Parade

Sun 10th June, 2pm to 4pm

The Sky’s the Limit for Manchester Day Parade 2012…

Celebrating all that is magnificent about Manchester, and involving a huge amount of creativity and engagement with thousands of participants from across the city, this flagship summer event for the North West is back!

Created by the people of Manchester, commissioned by Manchester City Council, produced by Walk the Plank, the Parade is attended by 10′s of thousands, and the call out for participants is currently open!

Inspired by the ‘Sky’s the Limit’ theme, groups from all over the city are being invited to submit their ideas for floats, costumes, dances and performance which they will the develop and create working with local artists.

Visit the Manchester Day Parade website for more information…

Land of Giants

Sat 30th June

Titanic Slipways, Belfast

Land of Giants will be the largest outdoor arts event ever seen in Northern Ireland.  Combining acrobatics, aerial dance, carnival, circus, physical performance, music, multi-media and pyrotechnics, the event will present a major spectacle to an audience of over 20,000 in Belfast and showcase creative talents on a global platform.

Land of Giants is being staged by the Giant Events Company – a consortium made up of Beat Initiative, Belfast City Council, Belfast Community Circus School and Young at Art. It will be directed by Mark Murphy, with
Walk the Plank’s John Wassell as Creative Producer and Ellie Turner as Production Manager. Our pyrotechnic experts will also be providing an array of superb fire and fireworks.

Find out more on the event’s website.