Saturday 18th January saw the launch of Brent’s year as London Borough of Culture 2020 at RISE – a spectacular outdoor show featuring a community cast of hundreds hosted at Wembley Park. The Mayor’s London Borough of Culture is a year-long celebration, more than 22 boroughs applied for the 2020 accolade with Brent winning.
Brogan Group, a partner and contributor to the event erected a five storey stage for the show which enabled performers to bring together theatre, dance and music telling the story of Brent through a mass-participatory performance choreographed by Southpaw Dance Company. The free standing scaffold structure stood against the backdrop of Brent’s iconic Wembley Stadium, on Wembley Park’s transformed Olympic Way, and was illuminated by colourful projections and an incredible soundtrack of music and spoken word.
"It was a great start and showed what the Brent 2020 programme is about – the people, history, and the cultures in our pocket of North West London. RISE wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and collaboration of our fantastic partners Brogan Group, incredible volunteers and fearless community dancers.” Lois Stonock, Artistic Director of Brent 2020 commented.
Over 300 people were recruited from schools, dance clubs, and community groups across Brent to take part in the performance, learning the choreography from professional dancers from the borough. The show closed with an explosive live performance by Brent-born artist General Levy.
Further information on the event and programme can be viewed here