Young people from ACE Youth Groups worked hard in the months leading up to the event to prepare for the Doorstep Carnival, and more than 70 young people took part in the performances and Carnival procession along Grosvenor Road, Birchfield, Birmingham, on the day itself.

The children were accompanied by 7 professional dancers, and they showcased the Carnival costumes that we had designed for the North Birmingham Alliance’s spectacular Route 34 – Embracing Cultures programme of activities for the 2022 Cultural Festival.  This brought back wonderful memories of the Commonwealth Games coming to Birmingham last year. 
 
Ola Brown did a fantastic job of organising the performances by local artists on the stage in Grosvenor Road Studios beautiful Community Garden. Ola was ably supported by the young people on our Bridging Barriers programme – thank you to them.

A big shout-out must go to poets WATTZ (Michael Watson) and Rob Bailey; vocalists Bernie Bachelor, Sena, Annalice, Laverne, Lexi and Paddy Dowling; and guitarists Dan and Brad Standworth. The Reggae Choir with Black Voices closed the event in style. 
 
We wanted local residents from Birchfield to spend the afternoon to celebrate being together, and to share friendship and food.

We are very grateful to Logan Pemberton for giving up his time to prepare and serve the delicious barbeque. We also want to say thank you to the Grosvenor Transformer volunteers who prepared the Community Garden for our visitors and, of course, all the volunteers who welcomed and looked after everyone on the day.

There was huge excitement as this was the first time that Grosvenor Road Studios had opened its doors since a major 8-month refurbishment earlier this year, funded by National Lottery Reaching Communities.  The facilities look and are amazing!
 
The strength of the Doorstep Carnival lies in the fact that it brings different cultures together to promote community spirit.  By investing in local people, they, in turn, become invested in the community.

The event provided the opportunity to present local new talent and build on the strong collaboration between ACE Dance and Music and Black Voices.  The outdoor stage is the perfect spot for giving artists opportunities, whether they are completely new to performing or have some previous experience.  Thank you to Westhill Endowment for helping us to make the Doorstep Carnival such a success.
 

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For more information about ACE Dance and Music you can connect with them on:

Telephone: +44 (0)121 314 5830
Email: admin@acedanceandmusic.com
Website: www.acedanceandmusic.com
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