The Commonwealth Dance Relay
Nations united through dance.
We are creating a Global dance piece in celebration of the nations of the Commonwealth, to be performed live at two major global events.
Do you love dance? Are you from a Commonwealth country?
An exciting project needs to you take part!
Get dancing and upload - Start now, share and take part!
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What is it?
A global celebration of youth, culture, and creativity, The Commonwealth Dance Relay brings together young dancers from across the UK and around the Commonwealth in a powerful, inclusive dance relay, each contributing their own interpretation of a collaboratively composed soundtrack. Watch the demonstration video; this is the first video in the relay! We cannot wait to see how YOU will continue it.
Now it's your turn!
Choose a section of the dance according to region, and give us your interpretation, whichever style inspires you the most.
Feel free to bring your own dance moves – or try and copy the original dance. It’s up to you.
1. View
Watch the original videos and be inspired to dance.
2. Dance
Create your own dance and record it to share with us
3. Upload
Upload your video using the form here.
Watch Shevelle's top tips
A unique dance for everyone: after getting a chance opportunity to discover ballet from a young age and rising to fame at the National Ballet, choreographer Shevelle Dynott co-created a unique six minute dance performance, working in collaboration with students from the Royal Ballet School in London to start the relay.
Watch this video as Shevelle gives you his top tips so that YOU can continue the Commonwealth Dance Relay. Choose one of the motifs below and then film yourself in your chosen location.
Africa
Asia
Caribbean and Americas
Europe
Pacific
Get the files
Full audio file
You can listen to, and download the full audio file here:
Create Your Dance
Create your own Commonwealth Dance Relay
We’d love you to use the motifs you’ve seen in the demonstration videos as a starting point and create a dance that’s truly yours.
You can dance solo, as a duo, or as a whole group. Bring together friends, schoolmates, family members, teammates, a class or a club. Anyone can take part. What matters most is your interpretation, your energy, and your creativity.
Choose your music
The dance track is made from five musical voices from across the Commonwealth, with each section representing one of five regions. You can:
- Use the full track exactly as it is, from start to finish, or
- Choose just one section to work with. The regional sections have been separated for you (Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, Africa, and the Pacific), so you can pick the one you connect with most.
Make the dance your own
Your choreography can be completely different from the Royal Ballet School demonstration. That’s encouraged. Your dance can be in any style, and it can be as simple or as ambitious as you like: joyful, bold, expressive, funny, elegant, powerful, or all of the above.
If you’d like, you can add live instruments to play along with the track, but please do not change the tempo, basic structure or harmony of the music. The original soundtrack must be clearly audible and unchanged.
We are excited to see what you create using the original soundtrack.
Film it anywhere
You can film wherever feels right: at home, in the playground, on the street, in a studio, on a stage, on a pitch, or in the park. Anything goes.
What happens next
Over the coming months, we hope to share exciting new versions of the soundtrack for you to use, including a full orchestral version and several different style versions. For now, we cannot wait to see what groups can do with the original music.
Note: If you send in an excellent video early on, we may ask whether we can feature it as an example to inspire other groups to join in.
Top tips for filming
You must use the original audio
Play any of the original Dance Relay music while you film so it’s clearly captured in the recording. Please don’t swap in different music, change the speed or add new audio afterwards.
Film in landscape
Hold your phone or camera sideways so the video is wide, not tall.
Use steady, simple framing
Prop your phone on a chair, shelf, or tripod if you have one. Try not to hold it by hand – unless you are going for that as a style!
Make sure we can see your whole body
Step back enough to keep your feet and hands in shot, even when you move.
Choose good light and a clear background
Face a window or light source if possible, and pick a space where you stand out.
The Music
The dance track has been created by five young composers from around the
Commonwealth, each representing a different region – Europe (Jacob Abela), Asia (Nafias Ahmed), The Caribbean (Gerard Coutain), Africa (Flabie Enar Loape) and The Pacific (Grace Wellik)
Each of the 5 composers wrote a small fragment of music representing their own culture which were all fitted together into a 7-minute dance track by a young composer called Cole Lam.
How did it start?
Five outstanding young composers from the 5 regions of the Commonwealth: Africa, Asia, Europe, Caribbean & Americas and The Pacific, were each invited to send us a short extract of music, based on a theme and reflecting their country’s cultural characteristics. Another brilliant young composer, Cole Lam, put the 6.5 min dance track together.
Jacob Abela
Europe
Grace Wellik
The Pacific
Gerard Coutain
Caribbean & Americas
Nafias Ahmed
Asia
Flabie Enar Loape
Africa
How did it start?
Five outstanding young composers from the 5 regions of the Commonwealth: Africa, Asia, Europe, Caribbean & Americas and The Pacific, were each invited to send us a short extract of music, based on a theme and reflecting their country’s cultural characteristics. Another brilliant young composer, Cole Lam, put the 6.5 min dance track together.
Jacob Abela
Europe
Grace Wellik
The Pacific
Gerard Coutain
Caribbean & Americas
Nafias Ahmed
Asia
Flabie Enar Loape
Africa
Where in the world?
As the relay progresses, you’ll see where it has been on this map. Submit your entry now to take part!
