Spoken word artist confirmed as part of Birmingham 2022 handover line-up

The ceremony will see young people and artists from the city perform as part of the Closing Ceremony of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

25 year old Amerah Saleh joins film maker Daniel Alexander, rapper Lady Sanity and choreographer Rosie Kay as taking part in the handover ceremony which will be performed live in the Carrara Stadium, Gold Coast, Australia and part live from Birmingham. The global televised audience is estimated as one billion people.

Just three days remain for young people aged 16* - 25 years to sign up to be part of a mass participation dance in Birmingham which will form an integral part of the live celebrations alongside the line up of Birmingham based artists. Culture Central are keen to encourage young people who might play sports, enjoy dance, participate in gymnastics and feel comfortable moving to music – no previous formal dance training is necessary – to join the young people who have already signed up.

Birmingham 2022 Games Partners have appointed Culture Central, the development organisation for culture in the Birmingham city region, to produce the city’s element of the Flag Handover Ceremony. Culture Central, working with Birmingham Hippodrome, is working with young artists from across the city to celebrate Birmingham’s status as one of the youngest and most diverse cities in the UK.

Amerah Saleh from Sparkhill said: “I am interested in connecting people through sharing stories about my identity, my communities identity and linking these to the experiences of people around the world. This is a great an opportunity to connect with a global audience and be part of the moment when we invite the world to see how much culture we embody as a city. Raise those glasses to Birmingham!”

Monique Deletant, Deputy CEO Culture Central said: “We are delighted to add Amerah Saleh to our line up of amazing Birmingham based artists, we can really start to show the world the talent we have here in City and region.

“And for young people wondering about being part of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I think don’t hesitate. You’ve got just three days left to sign up to join Amerah Saleh, Daniel Alexander, Lady Sanity and Rosie Kay and be part of a global celebration of Birmingham and the start of our Commonwealth Games 2022 journey.”

Young people interested in being part of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity should sign up at www.birmingham2022.com/getinvolved. Participants must be available for try-outs on either 30 or 31 March 2018, and then rehearsals then every day from 9 to 15 April inclusive. Local travel costs in the rehearsal week will be covered for all participants.[1]

Culture Central are also seeking a team of Volunteers to support the participants throughout the rehearsal process and the main event. The volunteer team will help with the registration process, act as an information point for participants and direct the participants to where they need to go. 

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Background notes

*Young people aged 16+ may attend unaccompanied providing they are over 16 years old by 31st August 2017 and can provide valid photographic ID e.g. passport/student card and emergency contact information. Further terms and conditions can found on www.birmingham2022.com

About Birmingham 2022

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will demonstrate the very best of Global Britain to the world, showcasing the region’s strengths of: being connected and accessible; youth and inclusivity; and a focus on regeneration and rejuvenation. Birmingham is perfectly positioned to attract people to the Games and to ensure that the benefits of hosting extend from the city and region, to the UK and the Commonwealth.

Birmingham 2022 has the full support of the UK government, Commonwealth Games England, and the wider Midlands region, including: Birmingham City Council; three regional local enterprise partnerships: Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP; Black Country LEP; Coventry and Warwickshire LEP; the West Midlands Combined Authority and the Mayor of West Midlands, Andy Street; the city’s universities; and the Midlands Engine. In addition, Birmingham 2022 is supported by The Birmingham Commonwealth Association.
 

Amerah Saleh

Amerah Saleh is a spoken word artist born and bred from Birmingham. Her Muslim Yemeni roots give her space to get lost and found on multiple occasions between identity. She is the cofounder of Verve Poetry Press and a Producer at Free Radical as part of The Beatfreeks Collective.

Amerah has performed all around Europe and has will be releasing her first collection called ‘I Am Not From Here’ on 20th April. Her work touches on identity, womanhood, religion and the obscure idea of belonging only to one place.

About Culture Central:

Culture Central is the collective voice and development organisation for culture in the Birmingham City region. Culture Central has been created by a founding group of cultural organisations with the purpose of placing culture and creativity at the centre of economic and social future of the region. Dance Hub Birmingham (DHB) is an initiative of Culture Central, working to amplify and further develop the region’s position as an international centre of excellence for dance.

Culture Central work closely with a growing range of anchor institutions including universities and the business sector alongside an increasingly wide group of cultural and creative organisations to deliver exceptional cultural projects.

For the Birmingham 2022 handover Culture Central’s lead production partner is Birmingham Hippodrome who are providing local creative leadership and production capability.

www.culturecentral.co.uk