A large-scale travelling street performance featuring a 15-foot tall Giant Wheel driven by 5 street artists travelling high above the streets, accompanied by live music, and inspired by the fracture between our individual identities and the cycles of our shared common humanity.
Choreographer/Director Johnny Autin
Associate Director Vicki Amedume
Creative Producer Adam Towndrow
This month we would like to introduce you to the amazing people involved behind the show:
Johnny Autin
Choreographer/Director
Johnny is an established International Dance Artist & award-winning Choreographer based in Birmingham (UK). Originally from France, he has collaborated with creatives & companies throughout Europe, as well as touring work worldwide.
As a dance maker, he is regularly commissioned by organisations & universities to create new work with professionals & vocational students, and he has over 15 years of experience as a workshop leader and educator.
He is the founder and Creative Director of Autin Dance Theatre (est. 2013). More recently, he developed and created the touring sensation ‘Out of the Deep Blue’ featuring 13-foot Sea Giant Puppet Eko. Johnny is a dedicated trustee on the board of Dancefest (Worcester), Associate Choreographer for Birmingham Opera Company and Associate Artist at Midlands Arts Centre. He believes in dance as an agent for positive social change. His choreographic process is often influenced by socio-political statements and engaged towards positive, empowering and inspiring artistic experiences to audiences.
Vicki Amedume
Associate Director
Vicki Dela Amedume is the Artistic Director at Upswing and is an Associate Director at The New Vic and Creative Director at The Albany, Deptford. Within Upswing, Vicki performed and created aerial and circus-based work in the UK and worldwide, working across all spheres of circus from traditional touring tented circuses to large-scale outdoor spaces and intimate touring indoor theatre. Beyond Upswing she has provided circus and aerial direction to a range of companies including The RSC, The National Theatre of Scotland, New Vic Theatre, The Royal Exchange and Kenny Wax Productions as part of the creative team for the Olivier Award winning ‘The Worst Witch’.
Vicki is Chair of The Baring Foundation Arts Committee and a trustee of Dance Umbrella. (https://upswing.org.uk/)
Adam Towndrow
Creative Producer
Outdoor Arts consultant Adam Towndrow has extensive experience in the outdoor touring sector. He has a Degree in Interdisciplinary Performance from Middlesex University and founded C-12 Dance Theatre in 2005 www.c-12dancetheatre.com, the Emerge Festival in 2012 and Ballet For Kids in 2012. Having produced all works created by C-12 from 2005 to present, productions have included ‘Trolleys’ which performed throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Egypt and won the Argus Award for Artistic Excellence. Other outdoor productions produced include ‘The Van Man’, ‘Market Stall’ and ‘Secret Encounters’ which toured to 50+ events and festivals throughout the UK & Holland including The National Theatre, Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and Abbey Road Studios. Adam choreographed ‘One’s Enough’ which toured the UK and ‘ONE’ which was commissioned by Dance Umbrella and performed at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank, London.
Becky Minto
Designer
Becky has been designing for over 25 years. Her work covers main house productions, large-scale touring, aerial and circus indoor and outdoor productions, multiple site-specific designs and large outdoor ceremonies. She was the Associate Designer for the Opening Ceremony and Designer for the Closing Ceremony of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. She was awarded the Silver medal for Space Design for THE 306:DAWN – NTS at the World Stage Design exhibition Taipei 2017. Her designs have been selected as part of the UK exhibition for The British Society of Theatre Designers at the Prague Quadrennial PQ19, PQ15, PQ11, and PQ07.
Richard Shrewsbury
Composer
Richard is a performer and composer living in Birmingham, UK who regularly creates work for film and live performance. Previous compostions include the opening of the Telford Southwater Development with music set to fireworks, watched by over 10,000 people as well as music to celebrate the diversity of the UNESCO world heritage site at Ironbridge Gorge. He has collaborated with dance, visual and mixed media artists and was Musical Director for ‘Echo Eternal’ in 2019 and 2020. He has composed the scores for several AutinDT works including ‘Dystopia’, ‘Queer Words’ and ‘A Positive Life’. Richard is passionate about creativity, music and the arts and their connection to social and cultural mobility. He enjoys working with technology as part of his artistic practice and relishes the challenge of composing music that relates to all kinds of audiences.
