Annual Review 2011/12 - Glasgow Life

36 Glasgow Life Annual Review 2011/12
The Scottish Athletics National
Championships returned to Scotstoun Stadium
in July 2011. Some of the best athletes from
across the UK battled it out in a series of
track and field events in front of an audience
of almost 1,000 spectators in the home of
athletics in Scotland. In an attempt to bring
athletics to a new audience Glasgow Life
staged the men’s pole vault finals in George
Square and attracted over 500 spectators.
The Aviva Indoor Athletics fixture was held
in the Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena
for the final time in January 2012 ahead of its
move to the Commonwealth Arena in 2013.
Over 2,800 spectators witnessed a day of high
drama as some of the world’s top athletes
went head to head.
OVER 2,800 SPECTATORS
Case Study
Glasgow Arts commissioned a mass dance
project which was staged as part of the 2011
Merchant City Festival and as part of the event
programmes for the opening of the Riverside
Museum. Glasgow Life’s Arts Development
team raised funds from Creative Scotland for
the project and Glasgow choreographer,
Natasha Gilmore, was commissioned to lead
on the project as part of the London 2012
Open Weekend.
Entitled Get Set GlasGOw, it included different
dances inspired by the dynamics, movement
and drama of Olympic sports. The project
led to the creation of new performance and
choreography exploring the synergy between
arts and sports. More than 70 volunteers
signed up from across the City and worked
with 10 professional dancers to create the
work. The volunteer dancers were recruited
using social networks and the media and some
of the cast members had been involved in
the Commonwealth Games Flag Handover in
Delhi and Reel 2 Real Commonwealth Games
Handover celebrations in the city centre.
The performance took place at various sites
across the Merchant City, with a finale on
Brunswick Street.
Some feedback from the participants included:
“As the core team and cast were so diverse,
it was an amazing opportunity to learn and
develop alongside many individuals.”
“The thing I enjoyed most was that me and
Jamie got to create some duets and Lorrain
and Wills (dance assistants) trusted us that
we would get it right!”
“I was truly moved – in many senses!”