Animating Communities: The Art and Impact of Choreography  

A parade is a celebration of people and a theme, whether it’s an anniversary, an opening of an event or festival, a subject of history, heritage – the list is endless, and as a choreographer who works in the outdoors, it’s the community participation and collective celebration that I'm passionate about, and where both mine and Walk the Plank’s passion collide. It’s this passion which has drawn me into a fifteen-year partnership with Walk the Plank, working on their weird and wonderful processions and community-centred parades. 

As a freelancer I enjoy working solo, but working with Walk the Plank means being part of a team, a team that is there to support you, and allow you to learn and grow by collaborating with highly skilled people. And I relish this collaboration... all those creative minds; those in costume, prop design, musicians etc. bouncing ideas off one another, feeding each other's creativity. 

A project often begins with a call from one of Walk the Plank’s Producers and a discussion around an event outline. For example; can we animate the streets of Ashington with a parade themed around climate change? From there, discussions of where choreography can help animate the work/event begin.  

Which community groups are most suitable? Who can we engage with? Which costumes and music will work best and how many Dance Captains do we require to assist with the making of the work?  

All this work is underpinned by one of Walk the Plank’s super-efficient and creative Production Managers, with administrative support. After rehearsals, the performance on the day of the event is usually like a well-oiled machine with Walk the Plank. But a typical performance day for me means ‘meet and greets’ with the participants, warmups and last rehearsals with the Dance Captains to instil confidence in the groups. Creating a supportive environment is something that is very important to cultivate so once we’re in positions, we move as one.  

My role on the route is usually to cue and keep the high energy of the parade up, whilst making sure participants keep to the choreography, this is often helped by support from Dance Captain. I do, in truth, get to experience the vibrancy and visual splendour of the whole parade coming together.  

Experiencing the teamwork and enjoyment of the community involved in the parade is what I love most. I love working on parades. I love my job.  

This year is my thirteenth year working on Manchester Day Parade, and this year I have been working with the Filipino Anglo group to bring a modern movement twist to traditional dances, I’ve also been collaborating with an adult group to create a ‘birds of paradise’ movement. My role as a choreographer working with groups is to explore with them and then support movement selection, helping to shape the overall choreography, aligning it with the music and importantly with parade work, help animate any costume or prop.  

Parade choreography is unique in that it travels forward, past a static audience. And though travelling forward, it’s required to open out to the right and left, to engage the static audience. Through rehearsals I'm able to teach participants the skills that performing in a parade requires to be successful in engaging the watching crowds, whilst also allowing participants to develop their own purpose within a parade, whether that’s waving flags or moving to the music in a confident and joyful manner which then reflects in the atmosphere of the whole parade.  

I am looking forward to continuing this important, collaborative work, helping communities take pride in public celebrations and bringing outdoor events to life through movement.