Global Grooves Named as Queen’s Pageant Parade Contributor

Photo Credit: C Dyson

A Mossley, Greater Manchester, carnival arts organisation is celebrating after being invited to perform in front of a global audience of hundreds of millions.

Global Grooves is to be the only creative contributor from northern England to produce a section of the procession for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant in London this June.

Although plans are only in the early stages, Global Grooves says it will wow audiences across the globe with a colourful carnival influenced spectacle called A Sharing of Gifts. Involving over 200 participants from the Greater Manchester region, the

parade will draw inspiration from across the Commonwealth, including the Caribbean, Africa and the Indian subcontinent. It will also feature readily recognisable music, fashion and dance influences from closer to home.

At the head of Global Grooves’ promenading entourage will be a glorious carnival queen in her own chariot, followed by giant walkabout puppets, a 100-strong young people’s carnival music group, 50 lavishly costumed dancers and a sea of giant flag bearers.

Though Global Grooves is based in Tameside, at Carnival arts centre The Vale, the organisation is briefed with representing the whole of Greater Manchester in front of the expectant eyes of the world.

Local communities across the region will be involved in every aspect of putting the parade together, from behind the scenes tasks like puppet making and silk printing, to taking part in the event as a dancer, musician or flag bearer.

Support from Greater Manchester Arts will fund two ‘dance ambassadors’ from each Greater Manchester borough to travel to London to take part in the event.

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant will take place on Sunday 5 June 2022. It will feature participants from every corner of the Commonwealth and be televised around the world. Winding its way through the streets of Westminster and along the Mall, past Buckingham Palace, it will tell the story of HRH’s record 70-year-long reign, longer than any other British monarch.

The pageant will be one of the final events across a four day bank holiday weekend and will have three acts - ceremonial, celebration and finale. Global Grooves is one of 22 professional arts organisations participating in the celebration section, alongside emerging artists and key workers.

Leon Patel, CEO, Global Grooves,

said: “Our parade piece celebrates the deep cultural exchanges that take place when people travel and meet others who have vastly different experiences, ideas and ways of living and being.

“It also focuses on our talented, diverse communities in Greater Manchester, showing that when we are open to new friendships and cultural collaborations anything is possible.

“We are of course delighted to be able to share Global Grooves’ creative, celebratory and inclusive vision with audiences all over the world.”

Kirsty Connell, network coordinator, Greater Manchester

Arts, said: “The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant offers a fantastic opportunity to showcase to the world some of the talent we have here in Greater Manchester.

“We’re really pleased to be able to support Global Grooves in ensuring that all of Greater Manchester is represented.”

Since 2003, Global Grooves has inspired people all over the globe to take part in carnival-style events, working across Greater Manchester as well as in Gambia, Brazil, New Zealand, Singapore, and Trinidad & Tobago. In 2021, Global Grooves launched the Northern Carnival Centre of Excellence within The Vale arts centre in Mossley.

This June sees the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant in London and Global Grooves is the only northern arts organisation selected to create a section of the parade. The region’s premiere carnival arts crew, they have been tasked with showcasing Greater Manchester’s talent and diversity in front of a global audience of hundreds of millions. We caught up with them at their home The Vale, in Mossley, Tameside, to find out who they are and what they have planned. Who are Global Grooves?

We are Leon, Holly, Eraldo, Freya, Jane, Ciara, Sarah, Kate and Emily. We have worked with communities across the north - and all over the globe - since 2003 so they can experience the joy of making and taking part in carnival. Global Grooves was founded by friends Holly Prest, Eraldo Marques, and Leon Patel. Leon and Holly met at a community music project in Mossley when they were 13-yearsold. They then encountered Eraldo when he visited with his youth group Meninos do Morumbi, celebrated for using music to work with children in Sao Paulo’s poorest areas, the favelas.

Inspired by the group’s ethos, we founded sister project Meninos do Morumbi Oldham. We worked with young people and local communities in the aftermath of the Oldham riots, using music and dance to bring people together. Eraldo and Brazilian choreographer Adriana Rosso decided to come to Greater Manchester to work on our project. It was such a success, they stayed and we set up Global Grooves in order to continue the work with wider communities.

When we think of carnival, we think of Brazil. Where else in the world has a carnival tradition?

Carnival is a global phenomenon and processional performances happen in almost every region of the world. Carnival influences come from Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, Amazonian tribes including the caboclos, riberenos, mestizos and campesinos as well as from European traditions.

Arguably Rio has the most famous carnival in the world. But every state in Brazil has its own varying carnival traditions, some actually even larger and more extravagant than those in

Street parades are also a huge part of the Indian tradition. Some of the biggest processional events in the world happen there. They wouldn’t necessarily be called ‘carnival’ but the spirit is the same. In Gujarat, where some of our CEO Leon’s family is from, there are said to be more that 2,000 festivals a year, a large number of which have carnival elements.

The most famous carnivals in the Caribbean tradition are in Trinidad and Tobago, held the week before Lent, the Carnaval of Santiago de Cuba, which takes place every July and of course Notting Hill, which will be back on 28 August for the first time since 2019.

Tell us about some of your favourite performances?

The very best performances we do are those that really mean something to the communities who take part. We think the Jubilee will be one of these. Greater Manchester will shine on those streets and give it all they have. The participants we have spoken to really want to show the world what Manchester is about in its widest sense. And this is a platform to do that.

We’re regulars at the Blue Dot Festival at Jodrell Bank, which is always lots of fun. Further afield, in 2018 we took 40 artists on a skills swap to the Gambia, working with local people on the Kartong Festival. We’ve also worked with local communities towards performances all across the north of England, in Brazil, New Zealand, Singapore and Trinidad & Tobago.

What are you planning for the Pageant?

We are taking a colourful carnivalinfluenced spectacle called A Sharing of Gifts to London. It will involve over 200 participants from Greater Manchester, drawing inspiration from across the Commonwealth. It will also feature readily recognisable music, fashion and dance influences from closer to home. chariot, followed by giant walkabout puppets, a 100-strong young people’s carnival music group, 50 dancers and a sea of giant flag bearers.

Our partners Cabasa Carnival Arts will be working with local volunteers to hand print miles of beautiful silks to then turn into our costumes and to use in the creation of giant puppets.

Our parade piece celebrates the deep cultural exchanges that take place when people travel and meet others who have vastly different experiences, ideas and ways of living and being.

It also focuses on our talented, diverse communities, showing that when we are open to new friendships anything is possible. And that Mancunians know how to throw a party!

How does the Pageant fit in with the other Jubilee bank holiday weekend activities?

The Pageant is part of four days of celebrations over an extended bank holiday weekend, from 2-5 June. On the Saturday there’s a live concert featuring some massive names from Buckingham Palace. The Big Jubilee lunch encourages communities to organise their own street parties, picnics, afternoon teas and barbeques.

On Sunday 5 June, dancers, musicians and other performers will join military personnel and key workers to tell the story of The Queen’s record-breaking reign in the Platinum Jubilee Pageant.

Televised around the world, to audiences running into hundreds of millions, it will wind its way through the streets of Westminster and along the Mall. We will be there in force to show the world what Greater Manchester has to offer.

Why is carnival so special?

Carnival is not just about the incredible spectacle that appears on the road. In fact that’s just a tiny moment that comes after months of preparation and thousands of hours of time from the individuals that are involved in creating it.

It’s the process of creating carnival that nurtures that magic. Each and every person is involved for different reasons. Perhaps it’s to feed their artistic and creative thirst and display their art with the world. Or it could be to build confidence and meet new friends. They may have a political and social message they want to share with society. Or maybe they want to contribute to a community celebration and help others smile, be happy and be healthy.

Carnival is a great leveller. In our carnivals you have bankers next to key workers next to children next to artists next to elders next to activists. It’s a place where everyone can come together and create a new, safe and progressive community that becomes an unlikely family. It’s a place for all: for the disenfranchised, for the misfits, for the stars, the experts, the children and the grandparents.

But to really ask why carnival is special we have to ask those that contribute to it. For this parade you would have over 200 stories to share all with a different angle.