Bicycle Ballet Company

Unique outdoor arts performances & community engagement projects exploring issues & ideas about cycling, active travel & sustainability

The Bicycle Ballet Co is a unique arts company that celebrated its 15^th anniversary in 2021.  The company was created following an award by Brighton & Hove Arts Commission & by the City Council’s Cycling City funding.

In 2006, Bicycle Ballet presented a mass participatory performance on Brighton seafront with over 80 performers & an audience of thousands.   Since then, the company has toured this show across the UK & internationally, & has created & toured six other shows.

Artistic Director, Karen Poley has over 25 years’ experience of creating & producing outdoor arts performances, installations & community engagement projects of all scales & sizes, including over 100 outdoor arts festivals & events, & Brighton Festival’s Streets of Brighton, for Zap Art.

Capturing Imaginations

Media.  Bicycle Ballet has always achieved a significant local, regional, national & even international press & media attention for its work, which is unprecedented for other arts organisations of a similar scale.  These have included national, local & regional coverage, international features & even inclusion in a Greek coffee table book on Bike Art.

Partners.  Bicycle Ballet works in partnership with local authorities; arts, cycling & sports organisations, & is supported by Arts Council England & the British Council.

The company has secured a significant number of commissions from a variety of organisations including local authorities, Brighton & Hove City Council, Milton Keynes, Norwich Love Light, Southwark & Belfast City Councils; arts organisations such as The Birmingham Hippodrome & Coventry Mysteries; & cycling organisations such as the PrudentialRide London, London Cycling Campaign, Edinburgh & Bristol Cycle Festivals.

Audiences.  Performances are designed to capture people’s attention & stop them in their tracks.  Shows are presented free to the public in open, everyday spaces, with eye catching visual imagery & lively, foot tapping soundtracks.  It is estimated that over 140,000 people have seen performances over the last 15 years.