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Neon Romance: Headlights capture Plymouth’s love of after-dark rhymes and flips

11 February 2022

After dark. Breaking the rules. Neon Romance is fuelled by Plymouth’s passion for drift cars, footwork, flips, MC’s, and dancing the night away. Caught in the headlights, six dancers embrace Afrobeat, Breaking, Chicago Footwork, Contemporary and Parkour. One of eight short films featuring innovation in visualising dance - for Dance Passion 2022.

Neon Romance

Headlights capture Plymouth’s love of fast cars, footwork, rhymes and flips.

After dark. Breaking the rules. Fuelled by Plymouth’s passion for drift cars, footwork, flips, MC’s, show cars and dancing the night away. Turning the key on a combustion engine of engineering, imagination, hybrid cars and rebellious dancers.

When the music starts, the night begins and the cars rock up - everyone’s equal.

Caught in the headlights, six individuals come together for a night on top of colourful show cars - sharing Afrobeat, Breaking, Chicago Footwork, Contemporary and Parkour. Putting neon lights, shimmering car-shells, whirring engines and spinning bodies in the driver's seat.

Across Plymouth’s modified car, street-sports and dance scene: when the music starts, the night begins and the cars rock up - everyone’s equal. With a score by dynamic drum and bass MC, Maddy V, and directed by choreographer Laura Kriefman, Barbican Theatre's Neon Romance celebrates the world-class talent in Plymouth.

Innovation in dance

What is Dance Passion?

This is one of fourteen short films and interactive projects that explore innovative ways of capturing and experiencing dance, as part of Dance Passion - a landmark celebration of the world-class dance throughout February and March 2022. BBC Arts, in partnership with One Dance UK and supported by the Arts Council, bring you unique perspectives on the creative forces in dance, and spotlight innovation in choreography and performance.

Rambert performing in Plymouth for Dance Passion

Highlights include:-

  • Josie d’Arby and Karim Zeroual present five hour-long programmes of dance as a boxset on BBC iPlayer, and a special highlights programme on BBC Four;
  • Performances by thirty-two companies, recorded in ‘dance hubs’ across the country;
  • Exclusive first screening of excerpts from Carlos Acosta’s Don Quixote from Birmingham Royal Ballet;
  • World premiere of Corey Baker's thrilling new film, Dance Race;
  • Fourteen short films and interactive projects exploring innovative ways to experience dance.

Dance Passion on iPlayer

  • Highlights

    Josie d’Arby and Karim Zeroual with selected highlights from Dance Passion, including Birmingham Royal Ballet's Don Quixote.

  • Leeds

    Karim Zeroual presents from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds, featuring Akram Khan, Vale School of Dance, Balbir Singh Dance Company, Phoenix Dance and more.

  • London

    Josie d’Arby presents Dance Passion 2022 from Sadler’s Wells in London, with exclusive performances from Ballet Black, Patience J Collective, The Royal Ballet and more.

  • Coventry

    Josie d’Arby and Karim Zeroual shine a spotlight on dance in the Midlands, brought to you from Warwick Arts Centre in Coventry,

  • Plymouth

    Josie d’Arby visits the Theatre Royal Plymouth’s production and learning centre TR2 to shine a spotlight on the UK dance scene, with a focus on what’s on offer in the South West.

  • Around the UK

    Includes National Dance Company Wales, and Scottish Ballet's Starstruck. Presented by Josie d’Arby & Karim Zeroual. Available 29 March on iPlayer.

Exclusive world premiere from Corey Baker

  • Dance Race

    From ballet to ballroom, sky-diving to car-eography, it’s a thrilling race to the finish in Corey Baker's stunning new film showing exclusively on Dance Passion.

Dance Passion 2022: Short films displaying innovation in dance