There was excitement in Kelvingrove Park on Friday 24th July as vibrant dance teams gathered to perform as part of the Commonwealth Dance Relay at the Glasgow 2026 Festival.

The Commonwealth Resounds played a key role in the Kelvingrove Parade, wonderfully named ‘Finnie’s Welcome Promenade’ (after Finnie, the Commonwealth Games mascot). Supported by funding from the Glasgow 2026 Festival, the event brought together performers, community groups and schools for a joyful celebration of dance, music and cultures from across the Commonwealth.

The parade began with the stirring sound of bagpipes and a spectacular display of Scottish dancing. The first Commonwealth group to perform was Dance 360 Company, whose lively and energetic breakdancing immediately captured the crowd’s attention. Their performance led into a thrilling BMX display and a playful ‘Unicorn Dance’, setting an exuberant tone for the rest of the promenade.

Next came The Beats of Polynesia, representing six Pacific countries through music, dynamic dancing, vocals and spectacular costumes. Their performance quickly drew a large crowd, who followed the group through Kelvingrove Park towards further performances by local schools and community groups.

The third group, Dance Ihayami, brought elegance and colour to the parade with a beautiful performance inspired by Indian classical and contemporary dance. Their journey led the crowd towards the Medal Area, attracting considerable attention from the press and media along the route.

Finally, Dance HQ performed a wonderful selection of Scottish and European dances as the procession made its way towards the stage. Their infectious energy encouraged the whole crowd to follow, bringing performers and spectators together for the conclusion of the parade.

Once everyone had gathered at the stage, all four groups united to present the Commonwealth Dance Relay as a glorious finale to Finnie’s Welcome Promenade. It was a fitting conclusion to a remarkable event, celebrating the rich variety of traditions found across the Commonwealth while demonstrating the extraordinary power of music and dance to bring people together.

The Commonwealth Resounds was delighted to help share these performances with the people of Glasgow and to see each group receive such an enthusiastic response. We are enormously grateful to all the dancers, musicians, organisers and supporters who made this colourful and uplifting celebration possible.

Dance as a tool for change

Nipaeli & Rajabu decided to participate because they believe strongly in the power of dance, movement and music to communicate ideas and create positive change in communities. The Commonwealth Dance Relay offered them a platform to share their experiences, show their creativity, and promote inclusion and equality, especially for people with disabilities.

Their piece, *Echoes of Ability*, is inspired by lived experience. It speaks to the challenges that many people with disabilities continue to face in society and, in particular, to the way people are often judged by appearance rather than by capability.

As a mobility disabled person, Nipaeli has seen how society can sometimes focus on what a person appears unable to do, rather than recognising their strengths, talents and contributions. There remains a common misconception that persons with disabilities cannot achieve great things, participate fully in society, or contribute to decision-making processes.

Through movement, dance and music, Nipaeli & Rajabu wanted to challenge those assumptions.

Echoes of Ability

Echoes of Ability speaks up for the abilities, talents and contributions of people with disabilities. It is a piece about visibility, dignity and participation. It asks audiences to recognise that every person, regardless of disability, gender or social status, is entitled to equal opportunities to participate, to be seen, to be heard, and to have a voice in decisions that affect their lives, families, communities and nations.

Nipaeli & Rajabu chose dance because it is accessible, welcoming and powerful. It can convey important messages in a way that is emotionally engaging and non-confrontational. It can reach people directly and creatively, opening hearts and minds through movement.

Most importantly, they wanted to show that something commonly seen as a limitation can also be an asset. In doing so, their work challenges expectations and demonstrates that people with disabilities can do so much more than society often assumes.

The video was recorded at MUDA Africa in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The setting adds another important layer to the work, rooting this contribution in a place of contemporary dance, creativity and artistic development.

A soundtrack built across five regions

The Dance Relay music began with five outstanding young composers, each invited to create a short musical extract based on a shared theme, shaped by the cultural character of their region. Those extracts were then brought together into a complete, continuous dance track by young composer Cole Lam, forming a soundtrack designed to be interpreted in countless ways by dancers worldwide.

To launch the Relay, celebrated dancer Shevelle Dynott worked with students from the Royal Ballet School to choreograph demonstration videos. These films provide inspiration and a starting point, while encouraging participants to create their own movement style and interpretation.

Any style, any group, any location

A key aim of the Commonwealth Dance Relay is to remove barriers to participation. Dancers can take part solo, in pairs, or in groups, and submissions can come from schools, youth companies, clubs, community groups, families, or individuals.

Participants are encouraged to film wherever feels right, whether that is at home, in a playground, on a street, in a studio, on a stage, on a pitch, or in a park. The emphasis is on creativity, joy, and connection, not expensive equipment or professional production.

Shevelle Dynott & Sebastian Loe

The Commonwealth Dance Relay launches with choreography by Shevelle Dynott and Sebastian Loe, two experienced ballet artists and choreographers whose work spans major stage productions and creative projects.

Shevelle and Sebastian both trained within the UK’s classical ballet pathway. Shevelle achieved success at the Royal Academy of Dance’s Genée International Ballet Competition and went on to dance with English National Ballet, performing a wide range of roles and working with leading choreographers. Sebastian followed a similar route with Northern Ballet before receiving a children’s Bafta for creating a ballet of The Ugly Duckling in collaboration with CBeebies. In recent years, both have continued as freelance artists, combining performance, creative development around the world, and work with young dancers.

To start the Dance Relay, Shevelle and Sebastian worked with students from The Royal Ballet School to create a set of clear, inspiring demonstration videos. These films are designed as a starting point: a way to share motifs, musical cues, and movement ideas that groups can build on in their own style. Your choreography can be completely different from the demonstration, and that is encouraged.

The students featured in the Dance Relay videos represent the next generation of talent, sharing their dancing in a way that is ready to be reimagined by dancers everywhere.

Our partners

Alongside the young composers, dancers, and schools taking part around the world, we are grateful to a brilliant group of partners who are helping us to bring our relay to reality share the Relay widely and make participation as open and accessible as possible.

• Cloud9Media are experts in video content creation for a modern world. They have kindly supported the project with high quality film production, helping to capture the Relay’s launch content clearly and professionally, ready for sharing across digital platforms and partner channels.
• CHOGM 2026 (the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) is a major moment in the Commonwealth calendar. The Dance Relay is part of a wider programme of creative activity that celebrates youth voice, connection, and collaboration across the Commonwealth.
• Revere Arts empower artists and organizations by offering management, production, and advisory services to bring creative projects to a global audience. They are supporting the project as creative and industry partners, bringing expertise in arts projects and audience development, and helping us connect the Relay with wider networks in the cultural sector.

Simple filming guidance

To help groups create clear, shareable recordings, The Commonwealth Resounds has published straightforward filming tips:

• Film in landscape (hold your phone sideways so the video is wide, not tall)
• Use steady, simple framing (prop your phone on a shelf, chair, or tripod if you have one)
• Make sure we can see your whole body (step back so hands and feet stay in shot)
• Choose good light and a clear background (face a window if possible and keep the space uncluttered)
• Use the original track audio (play the official Dance Relay music while you film so it’s clearly captured, and do not replace or alter the audio)

Groups may add live instruments to play along, provided the original soundtrack remains clearly audible and unchanged, and the tempo, structure, and harmony are not altered.

A growing map of participation

As the Relay progresses, The Commonwealth Resounds will track participation and showcase how the project travels between communities, schools, and countries, building a visible picture of connection through shared music and movement.

The project continues the spirit of the organisation’s previous international relays, including the Commonwealth Music Relay, which brought young musicians, singers, and composers together across the Commonwealth through creative responses to a shared original song.

All the students study music and there are expert tutors teaching djembe, dance, balafon and kora as well as other academic subjects.

When Alison Cox and Martin Wess visited the Gambia Academy, not only did Sona arrange for the students and teachers to come in specially to greet them, but they also created a special performance for the visitors.

The Commonwealth Resounds is delighted to be associated with the Gambia Academy, and we are planning to run a collaborative project with them in February 2026. We would also like to warmly encourage people to support Sona’s work and vision.