'Spectacular' aerial show to be held in Shipley for City of Culture
Shipley’s newly renovated Market Square will host a unique acrobatics show tonight and on Saturday
A SPECTACULAR show featuring aerial acrobatics, opera, dance and choir of over 150 locals will come to Shipley this weekend as the town hosts a major City of Culture event.
Shipley’s newly renovated Market Square and the skies above it will host Bloom on Friday and Saturday evening, with thousands expected to descend on the town for the event.
Co-produced by award-winning contemporary circus company Upswing, the performance features Upswing’s acrobats and aerial performers, alongside opera singer Heather Lowe, and a large community choir of 150 local people, aged from five to 80.
The choir includes members of The Bolton Woods Centre Choir, Cullingworth Community Choir, Cottingley Community Choir, Great Yorkshire Chorus, Denholme Voices, and Love Pop Choir Saltaire, conducted by musical director and composer Tayo Akinbode.
They are joined on a temporary stage in the new Market Square stage by 14 local emerging artists, who have undergone a training programme with Upswing to develop specialist professional skills in aerial movement and performance.
There have been rehearsals for the show over the past few days, with visitors to the town centre wowed by the performances.
The show is directed by Upswing’s Artistic Director Vicki Dela Amedume, with dramaturgy by Theresa Heskins, following their joint nomination in the Best Director category at the upcoming UK Theatre Awards for their production of Angela Carter’s The Company of Wolves (New Vic Theatre).
Designed especially for this outdoor location the production takes place across and in the skies above the market square. It’s a show about connection, possibility and what people can build when they work together.
Vicki Dela Amedume, Artistic Director and CEO, Upswing, said: “Bloom is about creating a magical communal experience that shows what’s possible when we work together — using circus performance and the collaboration with local choirs, the show aims to create a metaphor of how people can be extraordinary when they act collectively.
“Staging it in Shipley Market Square at this moment is especially meaningful, as we come together to celebrate the square’s revival. The production transforms this renewed space into a stage for collaboration and joy, marking its new chapter with a shared sense of possibility.”
Shanaz Gulzar, Creative Director, Bradford 2025 says: “With the jaw-dropping artistry of Upswing’s team of aerialists and acrobats, and music shared by a choir of 150 local people raising their voices together in song, Bloom will bring Shipley’s newly renovated Market Square to joyous life in these two unforgettable performances.”
Bloom takes place on both Friday and Saturday at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £2. For ore details visit https://bradford2025.co.uk/event/bloom/