Wildcat launches with flash mob event at Bath Trades Council Pensions Justice rally on 30th November

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On the 30th November Wildcat performed our first piece as part of the Bath Trades Council‘s Pensions Justice rally.

Using Money’s Too Tight To Mention by Simply Red, as a soundtrack, the piece attempted to merge AgitProp theatre with flash mob dance and was put together by Bath trade unionists and students at Bath Spa University in only a couple of rehearsals.

The piece was devised by Wildcat Artistic Director, Chris Jury, and choreographer, Resham Amarnani and hopefully marks the first of many collaborations.

Thanks to Mike Johnston and Adam Coumas for filming and editing this video of the event.

Money’s Too Tight To Mention – Concept

An agitprop/flash mob event involving  Bath trade unionists and students.

As Money’s Too Tight To Mention By Simply Red kicks in, Dancers gradually emerge from the crowd and define the performance space.

  • Initially they dance joyously but once they are all in position the dancing becomes repetitive and mechanical in a representation of industrial work.
  • 2 “Capitalists” enter playing rock/scissor/stones with each other. They each end up losing their shirts.
  • They scuffle to get their own shirts back from each other and end up ripping the shirts to pieces (ticker tape effect). They stand shirtless for a moment watching the dancers.
  • The Capitalists call in the 2 policemen and tell them to go and rip the shirts off the backs of 2 dancers.
  • The police do this and give the shirts to the Capitalists who put them on.
  • The Capitalists like this. They exchange a wink and then tell the police to take the shirts off all of the dancers.
  • The police call in the 2 Soldiers and together the police & soldiers go into the crowd and rip the shirts off several dancers and give them to the Capitalists who get fatter and fatter as they put on all the shirts.
  • But then “the rebel” refuses to give their shirt. The soldiers and police beat the rebel but the other shirtless dancers go to his aid, for a moment those dancers with shirts don’t help but seeing that the police & soldiers are going to win all the dancers join in and rescue “the rebel”.
  • The Police & Soldiers retreat to try and protect the Capitalists but the crowd realising their power engulf them. The Capitalists, Police & Soldiers disappear as the crowd surround them. After a moment the crowd disperse – the capitalists have one shirt each and the soldiers and police have lost their uniforms.
  • The dancers dance in delight and freedom. The Capitalists, Police and Soldiers realise they too are free and join them.
  • As the song ends the dancers merge back into the crowds and disappear.

An evil capitalist loses his shirt while betting everything on rock-scissors-stoneBoth evil capitalists have lost their shirtsThe police take the shirts off the backs of the workers and give them to the capitalistsThe police and army arrest the red-shirted rebel who refuses to hand over his shirt

The workers rescue the rebel from the police and the armyEveryone celebrates at the end