A short film Mass Bolero, a community project that allowed the people of Nottingham to pay tribute to two of the UK's greatest sports stars, has been made available on YouTube.
To mark the 30th anniversary of Nottingham's Torvill and Dean winning their Winter Olympic gold medal in Sarajevo with their “Bolero” routine, Nottingham Playhouse's associate director Fiona Buffini had the idea of a Mass Bolero.
Over two months, more than 25 different community groups were each taught ten seconds of the routine, re-choreographed to be performed on land, in the groups' streets, offices, schools and other spaces across Nottingham.
These segments were edited together to recreate the entire dance which is set to the original BBC soundtrack and commentary from 30 years ago.
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean expressed their delight at the idea of the Mass Bolero project, so much so that they agreed to make two short cameo appearances in the film.
They appear in both the opening and end sequences of the film, at Nottingham train station and during the flash mob scene filmed in Old Market Square.
Fiona Buffini said, “The nation holds Torvill and Dean in great respect and admiration, but nowhere more so than here in Nottingham.
“Mass Bolero was genuinely a mass participation project with a diverse range of groups, including a flash mob event in Nottingham city centre, each recreating just ten seconds of the routine. The result is a film made up of the contributions of hundreds of people around the city.
“As the director, I was overwhelmed by the commitment and enthusiasm shown by all our groups towards the project. The film has turned into a celebration of Nottingham/shire and the people who live and work here.”
Among the first viewers were Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, who sent Fiona Buffini a thank-you note: “We both adored the Mass Bolero movie. It made us smile, laugh and stirred real emotion by the end. Congratulations to you and your team and all the wonderful dancers in the movie.”
Mass Bolero had its première at Nottingham Playhouse at the start of the neat14 festival. It was also the first programme on the new Notts TV channel.
It can be seen on the YouTube web site.