Festival Line Up Is SO Exciting
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Mythical beasts, fireworks, internationally-recognised musicians, gigantic video projections, enormous art displays in Tower Gardens – yes, SO Festival is back and today (20th May) East Lindsey District Council and its partners released details of this year’s line up.
Friday night (22nd July) will see The World Famous, which performed at 2009’s festival, return to Skegness with a new show. The performance, All Hands, explores collective endeavour, impermanence and change, and the power of connection will combine fire, fireworks and music in a spectacular and moving visual journey.
Before The World Famous perform, SO Festival 2011 will open with School’s Out – a programme of dance, street theatre and music designed especially, but not exclusively, for families and school children, who will be embarking on their summer holidays.
Two months of outreach work with schools and dance groups will come to fruition on Saturday 23rd July as Games Time premieres on the foreshore.
The large scale spectacular involving 200 people from across Lincolnshire will see four teams compete in a choreographed story involving kings, queens, executioners and mythical creatures, such as dragons and minotaurs, set against a backdrop of giant video projections and music.
Created by Déda Producing, one of the East Midlands’ leading arts organisations, Games Time is one of four Community Celebrations to be funded by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity set up to create a cultural and sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. As well as Games Time, Legacy Trust UK is funding other large scale outdoor community events in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the South East of England.
Rock legend Bill Wyman will bring the festival curtain down when he performs at the Embassy Centre. The former Rolling Stone will appear with several special guests during the concert on Monday 25th July.
This year’s SO Festival will continue its tradition of unusual, engaging and enthralling works of art, theatre and dance appearing in unexpected places throughout the weekend.
One such appearance will be by the Architects of Air which will erect Levity II, a luminarium, in Tower Gardens for the duration of the festival.
Levity II is a network of connected chambers constructed from brightly coloured translucent plastic. Entrance to the dazzling maze of winding paths and chambers of up to 10 metres in height will command a small charge, but all other outdoor events during the festival are free.
The SO Dance programme returns throughout the weekend, with dance groups from across Lincolnshire performing as part of Games Time and also on their own as part of the wider festival line up.
This year’s festival will build Skegness’ international reputation, which was formed when Swedish arts organisation Intercult brought Black/North SEAS to the town in 2009. Since then East Lindsey District Council has continued to strengthen its relationship with Scandinavia and the town of Helsingborg in particular. Moving Colour is an international exchange programme, part of the Lincolnshire Showcase, and will see Swedish dancers performing in Skegness during SO Festival.
Sunday will once again see local musicians bring a chilled out feel to Tower Gardens.
As well as arts events, this year’s SO Festival will include a sporting element as the English Beach Volley Ball Championships take place on central beach over the weekend.
“We promised to build on previous SO Festivals and we have,” says Cllr Doreen Stephenson, Leader of East Lindsey District Council. “We’ve worked incredibly hard to bring world class performers to Skegness and are very thankful to the financial support we have received from Arts Council England. I am delighted with how the programme has come together and with more theatre, dance and music events still to be confirmed, SO Festival 2011 will offer something for everyone and we’re looking forward to welcoming people from near and far to Skegness in July.
“The serious side to this Festival is that it’s about creating new business opportunities and bringing new visitors into the resort, whilst offering something different for regular visitors and local people. Last year’s Festival delivered £1.2m for our economy and I hope this year’s event is even more successful.”
There are also lots of opportunities for people to get involved in SO Festival. Any one interested in volunteering can register online at http://sofestival.org/pages/volunteering.html and find out more at the SO Festival Volunteer Evening on 25 May 2011, taking place between 6pm and 8pm at the Embassy Theatre Arts Room.
Businesses can also support the festival in a variety of ways. Further information is available at http://www.sofestival.org/pages/business-opportunities.html
