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IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GLOBAL GROOVES
THE WORKER BECOMES QUEEN
Read more about the project here
The Worker Becomes Queen was a unique international collaboration between Greater Manchester and Barcelona, commissioned by XTRAX for La Mercè Festival 2025. This large-scale street performance brought together monumental sculpture, original music, and powerful dance to tell a story of labour, transformation, and pride. At its centre are two striking structures: the regal Queen Bee and the kinetic Worker Bee. Both were animated by costumed performers, live processional music, and intercultural choreography co-created by artists and communities from Oldham, Tameside, and Catalonia. Blending visual spectacle with deep-rooted dance traditions and a newly commissioned score, the project reclaims public space in the spirit of Carnival.
We led on the textile creation for costume and puppets (including new techniques such as silk encased in fibreglass), working in partnership with local and Catalan artist who created the structural elements.
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