To celebrate the thrilling physical performance in the UK exclusive of BLAM!, coming to the Grand Theatre, Blackpool in August, The Urban Play Ground Team will be demonstrating ‘Performance-Parkour’ on Blackpool and Fleetwood’s seafront this weekend as part of a Left Coast project.
UPG came up with the name ‘Performance Parkour’ to describe their unique fusion of authentic French free-running with elements of urban and contemporary dance in stunning performances that have travelled across four continents.
Leading up to the performances on the Comedy Carpet and at the Marine Hall, Fleetwood, young people from across the Fylde have taken part in workshops to learn the fundamentals of parkour and develop their own movement skills. The result is short performances which will be performed on the Comedy Carpet on Saturday 19 July at 2pm and as part of Spare Parts in the Marine Hall Gardens, Fleetwood on Sunday 20 July at 4pm.

BLAM! comes to the Grand Theatre, Blackpool from Wednesday 20 to Sunday 31 August for a UK exclusive. Jaw-dropping action sequences, slapstick comedy, exhilarating parkour and heaps of attitude combine to make one of the most high-energy physical theatre shows ever seen in Blackpool.
Described by its creators as “Die Hard meets The Office”, BLAM! is set in a typical office where four wage slaves attempt to escape their painfully dull 9 to 5 jobs by inventing a game to pass the time when the boss isn’t looking. In this hilarious and explosive extravaganza they re-enact scenes from their favourite films, putting office life through the shredder and transforming it into a world of superheroes, aliens and classic blockbuster movie villains.
A huge hit at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, BLAM! was a sensation, playing to packed houses in one of Edinburgh’s biggest venues and going on to play a season in London’s West End. It has since toured all over Europe and performances are scheduled in Israel, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and the USA. The performances in Blackpool will be the only dates in the UK this year.
The show’s creator Kristján Ingimarsson said,
I was at this point in my life where I needed to do a show where I could just have fun. I wanted to present a form that everyone would recognise. Movie language is international, it’s so well understood, and so is the language of the office – a workplace everyone knows. But what happens when we mix these two very recognisable worlds together?
Star of TV’s The Office, Ricky Gervais, went to see the show for himself and described it on Twitter as ‘One of the greatest, most exciting & brilliant shows I have ever seen. Honestly.’
The presentation in Blackpool is the first joint venture between the Grand and LeftCoast, the Arts Council England funded programme designed to inspire more people in Blackpool & Wyre to experience the arts.
For more information about BLAM! or to book tickets visit www.blamblackpool.co.uk or for more information about LeftCoast visit www.leftcoast.org.uk.
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