The Bicycle Ballet Co is a unique arts company, led by Artistic Director Karen Poley. We work across art forms; sport, health & wellbeing, transport & sustainability, creating high impact outdoor dance performances to encourage more people to cycle & help tackle climate change.
Performances evolve from contemporary choreographies fusing dance with physical theatre, circus & visual narrative, spectacle, comedy & striking soundtracks, with stories about cycling, journeys & travelling.
In 2006, Bicycle Ballet was created following an award by Brighton & Hove Arts Commission & the City Council’s Cycling City programme. A mass participatory performance, inspired by Busby Berkeley’s film choreography, has since been recreated in locations across the UK & in France, & is still available.
Since then, the company has created & toured five other shows, engaging an estimated 140,000 people in the joyful highs & gritty lows of cycling.
the dance of cycling (2009-2013) – The playful, chaotic & sometimes treacherous world of synchronised cycling
The Bunny Hop (2011-2012) – Male & female siblings’ bicker, push, pull, giggle & wheel their way to adulthood
Everyday Hero (2013-2014) – Vanity, Fear, Happiness, Frustration, Bravery & Curiosity quest for adventure, self-discovery & a tandem ride, by an integrated cast of visually impaired & sighted performers
Strictly Cycling (2013 – available) – high impact, cycle-about choreography inspired by dada, everyday cycling experiences & the weather!
Blazing Saddles (2016 – available) – The little-known story of women revolutionising 1890s mores & fashions to be able to ride bicycles
With Cultural Recovery Funding we will be Covid safe & ready to tour again from the beginning of July.
In 2021, we’re celebrating our 15th anniversary &, in response to Covid-19 & the Climate Emergency, we are extending our focus to include walking & other forms of active travel, to encourage sustainability & reduce carbon emissions.
