The Great Train Dance

On 23 July 2011, The Great Train Dance performers, dancers and students from throughout the region, transformed the Severn Valley Railway into a magical experience with a puzzle to solve. In a chase thriller designed for families, this fascinating performance drew all ages on the train into the world of the absurd and seduce everyone into hunting for clues both on the train and through the English landscape, with dancers dotted on platforms, by reservoirs and in fields by the beautiful River Severn.

 
Choreographer and Director: Rosie Kay Producer: Hannah Sharpe Designer: Cecilia Carey Musical Director: Percy Pursglove Supported by Mubu Music PR: Lesley Wilde Thanks to the Severn Valley Railway
The Great Train Dance was a Dancing for the Games project, funded by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity set up to create a cultural and sporting legacy from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games across the UK. The project was inspired by London 2012 and part of the Cultural Olympiad in the West Midlands.

“Steam trains have always been a big part of my family life so it’s very exciting for me to be creating a unique dance around the Severn Valley Railway.  It is an ambitious but easily accessible project, which everyone can get involved in some way.  The work is part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad and it’s going to be fun as well as an opportunity to do something completely different.  It’s got national as well as regional appeal, from train enthusiasts to people who have maybe never visited the railway or seen a steam train up close before.”

 

Rosie Kay

 Led by the professional cast of the company with 14-year-old CAT student Emily May as the star of the show, 13 dance leaders joined the company and over 300 participants form the local areas. The work took two years in the planning and had a lead in time of six months of training for the dance leaders.