Rolling Out - Birmingham Festival 2023

At the Birmingham festival 2023 I had the pleasure of watching Skate Buddies perform. This piece was executed beautifully and the emotions and energy that radiated from the stage moved everyone watching. Watching the skaters whirl across the stage you would have no idea that the whole thing had been put together in as little as 8 hours! 

The piece was choreographed by Empress, the founder of Skate Buddies, and embodied her personal journey with mental health and the positive impact that skating and the skating community had on her life. When watching these skaters it was clear this piece came from a really personal place. ‘Empress really had a vision of what she wanted’ skater Emmie explained ‘she was really clear in exactly what that feeling she wanted to project to the audience’.

It wasn’t just the energy and emotion that was so captivating, it was also the impossibly complex way they maneuvered themselves around the stage. Dancing on skates gave the movements a certain grace and elegance that was especially enchanting. It was one of those performances where you come away and you just need to learn how to do that!! 

Another layer of the performance that made the show even more personal, was the song. The skaters themselves actually spoke about why they loved the sport so much and how much the community meant to them. Their voices were then mixed into the track. This fusion of their personal experience with Jhené Aiko’s ‘W.A.Y.S.’ (a song about mental health and loss) created a track that paired perfectly with what the message conveyed by the dance. 

This performance is a part of Bertz Associates Rolling Out Project. The aim of this project is to shine a light on the emergence of the roller skating community in Cannon Hill Park. This community transcends perceived social divisions and has been an amazing source of emotional support for many of the people involved. 

After the show the atmosphere was incredible, everyone was so happy. We sat around laughing and celebrating the success of the performance and I was lucky enough to get a taste of the amazing space that is Birmingham’s skating community. I began to understand why the Skating community played such a crucial role in people's lives and why it grew so much during covid. 

During covid skating began to trend all over the world. This was because it’s an independent sport that can be done outside and therefore considered totally covid safe. In Brum people became increasingly attracted to the skating community that already existed. This community would meet in Cannon Hill Park pretty much whenever the weather would allow. There was music and talking and of course skating. Slowly more and more people began to join this informal community. During covid with people feeling isolated and mental health plummeting the significance of this community was immeasurably impactful.

In a really dark time throughout the world something beautiful was happening. In the modern world a strong sense of community is increasingly hard to come by. Generally for communities to form activities need to be accessible; that means accessible financially and happen in public spaces that are easy to get to. Skating ticks both these boxes and it's why a lot of the skaters have continued to meet in Cannon Hill Park following the pandemic. 

I had the best time watching this performance and meeting the skating community. So if you are looking to get outside more, become more active and even make some new friends, you should grab yourself a pair of skates head down to Cannon Hill Park!