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WELCOME to Bicycle Ballet, scroll down to see what we do…


Coming up in 2024

After a brilliant 10th anniversary tour last year, Strictly Cycling is back on the road; watch this space for details soon.

Blazing Saddles is also touring again, with two participatory performances in September, as part of a National Lottery Heritage Funded project, Sussex Blazing Saddles, more details soon. Key dates include:

– 8 September, as part of Newhaven Festival & Heritage Open Days Festival
– 22 September, Brighton for Car Free Day

Sussex Blazing Saddles Heritage Project

We are delighted to be evolving our Blazing Saddles show, with a National Lottery Heritage Funded project exploring the impact of the bicycle on women in four partner locations, Worthing, Brighton & Hove, Newhaven & Bexhill. More information here & sign up for our newsletter to find out more about the project as it evolves here

bike lifted overhead against a blue sky background The Cilia Dance

We’re very excited about a new piece. Read more here…

Blazing Saddles

A celebration of the impact of the bicycle on women & fashion.  Shows can be static, along a ride, with or without participants.  Read more…

We’re delighted to receive National Lottery Heritage Funding for a Sussex-wide exploration of the ground-breaking changes for women, brought by the widespread availability of the bicycle.  Read more here..

Strictly Cycling @ GDIF 2017 © Paul Kley
Strictly Cycling
Also touring, a high impact, visual performance inspired by flash mobs, dada-ism, every day cycling & the great British weather.  Read more….

Strictly Night Cycling
A night-time version of Strictly Cycling, redeveloped in 2022 for Love Light Norwich, also available for bookings.  Read more HERE

 

An epic 2018 summer season!
Both Strictly Cycling & Blazing Saddles toured to some amazing festivals & events across the UK in 2018.  In addition, we received two commissions for Blazing Saddles, from Lakes Alive & Milton Keynes Pedalling Cultures, to build on & develop new structures, choreography & costumes to engage local participants & their bicycles.


2017 was a fantastic year!
Strictly Cycling toured to 15 locations, including a fabulous 10 performer show in Trafalgar Sq. We ran an all ability workshop with performance in Bradford & performed to an estimated audience of over 16,000 people. & Blazing Saddles was redeveloped for touring, following a commission from Wandsworth Arts Fringe.

Bicycle Ballet in the London Velodrome © Raysto Images

Back in 2016
A special year, with the creation of a new show Blazing Saddles, commissioned by Southwark Council; & two special commissions:  FireSpring for Cyclopark & a short piece for the opening of the UCI road track cycling championships at the London Velodrome.

Back in 2015
Strictly Cycling continued to tour in 2015.  An improvisational, visual performance & ‘cycle-about’ choreography, inspired by flash mobs, surrealism, everyday cycling experiences and the great British weather!

Four performers stand in a line in the Tour de France stage finish line, Bristol. Three performers look away and one smiles to the camera with two thumbs up. Performers wear bright yellow helmets, goggles and cycling capes

What a year!
2014 was a truly fantastic year. Strictly Cycling received three amazing commissions, to create:
* Flash mob workshops for up to 20 people
* A pink version for the Gira d’Italia Big Start, Belfast
* Tandem workshops for visually impaired people & front riders
Click links for more info

Strictly Cycling was seen by an estimated 15,000 people at locations across the UK

‘Leaping the Barriers: a short guide to improving access for visually impaired people to outdoor events’ is now available.  Follow the links to download from Leaping the Barriers

Performer, wearing a yellow helmet, goggles & rain mac, stares into the camera2014 Strictly Cycling Tour,

Click links on event names for more info

9 & 10 May – Gira d’Italia, Belfast
20 & 21 June – Edinburgh Cycling Festival
28 June – Yorkshire Sculpture Park
4 July – Leeds, Grand Depart
5 July – Fairlop Fair, London
5 July – Bradford, Grand Depart
6 July – Bristol Cycling Festival & Make Sunday Special
7 July – Woodford Wells, Redbridge, Tour de France
10 Sept – Tour of Britain, Bristol stage finish
20 Sept – Hockley Street Fayre, Nottingham
24 Sept – London University Freshers Fair, Barbican

Vanity peers through the frames of two tandems held on their back wheels, representing the lift doors


2013 Everyday Hero,
a narrative driven performance featuring an integrated company of visually impaired & sighted performers, working with tandems, was created and toured in 2013. Click HERE for further info.

2012 Bicycle Ballet Mass Show toured to five locations in 2012, working with local people to create performances.

golden sparkles high above heads, as two lines of three bikes pass each other

– 29th June, So Festival, Skegness

– 21st July, Edmonton Carnival, Enfield

– 5th August, Hadleigh, Essex

– 18th/19th August, Preston Guild Wheel Launch

– 29th September, ‘Stade Saturday’ Hastings

reCyculture, July – Sept 2012, a Kent wide installation project celebrating the Paralympic Road Cycling events hosted in Brands Hatch.

7 green painted bikes leap towards the sky from the top of a fence

Green Horses on the Wall, May – Sept 2012, Danebury Ave, London, SW15 4DQ. An installation and spoken word project, commissioned by Wandsworth Arts Festival. Follow the links for more info.

Newspaper clipping showing Bicycle Ballet next to a picture of 007 Daniel Craig


In the News, Summer 2012:

Preview of Hastings Bicycle Ballet in The Times, 28.9.12

Magazine cover

A six page feature in German cycling magazine, Pedaliero. Click link to see Bicycle Ballet only, pages in Pedaliero – Urban Cycling Oct 2012

Image from the Hastings Bicycle Ballet with article

‘Stade Bicycle Ballet will be a Tough Act to Follow’ The Argus 6.10.12

SW Londoner 2.7.12 – http://bit.ly/Oks38f

BBC World Service – July 12 – http://bbc.in/S5XGVM

And, we even inspired a song, composed by Graham Godfrey of Hadleigh Voices Choir: http://bit.ly/RuilSC

Article in London Cyclist, Xmas 2011

In the News, Winter 2011/12:

‘dance of cycling performer’, Kate Evans, is featured in the London Cyclist magazine.

the dance of cycling performs on the V'LILLE bikes

V’LILLE Launch, Lille’s Cycle Hire Scheme, September 2011

The new V’LILLE bikes were carefully worked into the narrative of ‘the dance of cycling’ and presented to large audiences in the city centre.

We’re In the News, Autumn 2011:Image from article

Evening Standard, Tall Tales Riding High, 9 Sept 2011

BBC Spotlight South West: 14 Sept 2011

This is Devon, 15 Sept 2011. click dates for more info

Bike Art Book: out now

Bicycle Ballet features in a new book about art and bikes by Greek arts collective Carpe Diem. The book presents bicycles in art around the world in the form of murals, design, illustration, tattoos, custom bikes, as well as us on page 242, http://bit.ly/tFQzqs.

Two pages of a book laid out with images of Bicycle Ballet shows and short text

New Productions for 2011:

Where are the girls when the boys are learning to bunny hop? A dynamic, new outdoor show fusing dance, circus and physical theatre – on bicycles. 2011 dates on the right.

Performance Parking Large scale visual installation inspired by the lengths you sometimes have to take to securely park your bike!

Redeveloped for 2011:

the dance of cycling has undergone a period of further development to build its dynamism, spectacle and comic moments.