Music / KNowle West
Paraorchestra to parade through streets of Knowle West
A 70-piece wind and brass band performing pop classics is set to boom through the streets of Knowle West next month.
Paraorchestra – a professional ensemble of disabled and non-disabed musicians – has partnered with Bristol Beacon and Filwood Community Centre to put on the performance, which is being called SMOOSH!.
Accompanying the band will be a troop of dancers, including a squad of young people from inclusive dance charity Flamingo Chicks.
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A preview of the upcoming parade was recently held in Filwood Community Centre’s car park.
The performance will feature an upbeat track list with songs by the likes of Massive Attack, Basement Jaxx, Fat Boy Slim, Adele, and Knowle West’s Tricky.
It will take two routes through the community on Friday, September 17, starting and finishing on Filwood Broadway.
Residents will be invited out to their doorsteps to dance and sing along to the parade in what the organisers hope will be a massive community singalong – a “masseoke”.
Todd Wills, artistic director at Bristol Beacon, commented: “We’re keen to ensure that culture is accessible to everyone across the city and it’s projects like SMOOSH! and the dedication of everyone involved that make this possible.”
SMOOSH! will see musicians and dancers performing through the streets of Knowle West. Photo by Paul Blakemore
Charles Hazelwood, Paraorchestra’s artistic director, added that the wide streets and front gardens of Knowle West mean the show will be both safe and accessible.
He said: “Whilst Paraorchestra performs across the UK and internationally, we are based in Bristol, and we put our heart and souls into anything we put on here.
“We have really lucked in with this opportunity to share the first outing of SMOOSH! with the community at Knowle West.
“It’s a community with a big heart and they have welcomed us with open arms – for which we are incredibly grateful.”
A preview of SMOOSH! was held in the Filwood Community Centre car park earlier in the year. Photo by Paul Blakemore
Makala Cheung, from Filwood Community Centre, added that SMOOSH! is “much-needed after the year we’ve all had”.
She said: “To be working with Paraorchestra and doing something in this community but also inviting the wider community across Bristol to join in is amazing.”
She also thinks the performance will be “even more fabulous” than parades which have taken place in Knowle West in the past.
“It’s an opportunity for people to get involved, collaborate, and spread positive vibes around the community.”
SMOOSH! takes to the streets of Knowle West on Friday, September 17. For more information, visit: www.filwoodcentre.org.uk/smoosh/.
Charlie Watts is reporting on Knowle West as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a pilot project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media
Main photo by Paul Blakemore
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