Future Cargo: Sci-fi show for Birmingham dance festival

Image caption, A truck arrives from an unknown location loaded with a mystery shipment. As the sides roll up, a strange and unstoppable process is set into motion
  • Author, John Bray
  • Role, 大象传媒 News, West Midlands

A sci-fi spectacular lit up the night sky as part of the Birmingham International Dance Festival.

The Future Cargo event on Thursday saw dancers performing in the city's rain-soaked Centenary Square inside an articulated lorry trailer.

Future Cargo is the latest outdoor work by Frauke Requard, a German-born, London-based choreographer, and David Rosenberg.

The performance has been described as "delivering the delicate integrity of a deeply intimate experience within a large-scale dance spectacle".

Image caption, Audience members wore headphones to hear the music that accompanied the performance
Image caption, Dancers performed on a conveyor belt that carried them along the trailer
Image caption, As the performance unfolded, the lorry trailer was filled with plants

Birmingham International Dance Festival (BIDF) opened on 21 September, with live performances set to continue across the city until Sunday 3 October.

"BIDF 21 welcomes audiences back into public places and spaces to enjoy an imaginative and entertaining free live programme, shining a light on the region's amazing dance offer, engaging communities and celebrating diversity and inclusivity," said a festival spokesperson.

Image caption, The performance went ahead despite rain showers in Birmingham's Centenary Square
Image caption, Future Cargo has been performed around England since May
Image caption, A dancer dressed as a bowling pin before Future Cargo moved on to the roof of the trailer
Image caption, An ever-changing coloured backdrop welcomed a performer inside a fairground dodgem
Image caption, A space-suited dancer prepares to climb on to the roof for the Future Cargo finale

Events have been staged in Centenary Square, Digbeth, Handsworth Park and at Edgbaston's Midlands Arts Centre.

Image caption, This is Requardt & Rosenberg's fourth outdoor show. Together they create performance away from traditional auditoriums

Future Cargo is a free, ticketed event and also takes place on Friday 1 October, again in Centenary Square.

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