A participatory video produced in association with Village Arts of young people from the village of Carlin How in East Cleveland preparing for and participating in their community’s annual gala celebrations. Working alongside them are members of the Abasindi Co-Operative, a black woman’s collective from Manchester who help teach the children traditional African dance and music as well as assist them in making their own costumes and large puppets. Members of the co-operative join the children...

A participatory video produced in association with Village Arts of young people from the village of Carlin How in East Cleveland preparing for and participating in their community’s annual gala celebrations. Working alongside them are members of the Abasindi Co-Operative, a black woman’s collective from Manchester who help teach the children traditional African dance and music as well as assist them in making their own costumes and large puppets. Members of the co-operative join the children in a procession through the village and then perform with them on a showground. In the final part of the film the Abasindi Co-Operative put on a concert inside a local community centre that includes traditional African music and dance. Inside the Carlin How and District Working Men’s Club on Brotton Road a group of young children dance happily to pop music. A woman appears on stage and using a microphone to speak with the children with regards a painting competition to design an advertising poster for this year’s gala and announces winners for an Easter Egg painting competition. A smaller group of young girls begin to dance on the dancefloor in front of a bar area to a series of pop hits being played on a mobile disco setup. A photographer wondering around taking pictures and the girls are replaced by a group of young boys who continue to dance to the music. They are followed by a group of teenage girls one of whom is dancing in bare feet. The music stops and a young man crossing the dancefloor carrying a pint of beer. In a workshop steelpan music playing on a television, around the room various carnival posters and costumes. Returning to the working men’s club the woman seen previously stands on a small stage beside a throne and announces the name of the 1990 Carnival Queen. The room erupts into shouts and applause as the girl comes forward to take the throne. In a community hall five children in colourful outsits and hula skirts rehearse an African dance accompanied by others playing drums. A woman from the Abasindi Co-Operative comes over and briefly joins the dancers, behind them several children beating their drums accompanied by a second woman from the co-operative. In another part of the building a man from the Abasindi Co-Operative works to touch up a colourful costume, around him many other costumes on display. Some of the children seen dancing in the other room come in with one boy trying on a costume while other return to work on their designs and costumes many using papier mache. The room becomes busy with many adults also joining in and one painting designs on some of the costumes. A tall local man in a hat chat with some of the Abasindi artists, work continues the costumes and banners with everyone enjoying themselves At the start of a procession two colourful banners being held by children. One reads ‘From This to This’ the other ‘Carlin How Gala’. A police van leads the procession along Rockcliffe View with a brass band playing at the head of the procession followed by the banners plus many of the costumed children carrying or wearing colourful costumes or controlling their giant puppets. The procession features several decorative floats including one in which a young girl, the gala queen, sits on a decorative chair. The procession passes cars parked beside a row of terraced houses and comes to a stop. A giant puppet in the garden of a house changes to onlookers watching from the pavements as the procession makes its way past. At a road junction a policeman stops traffic to allow the procession to proceed. As they pass along another terraced street the West View Majestic Coronettes juvenile jazz band passes in their distinctive blue uniforms followed by a group of men and women wearing historic costumes. On a field six young dancers perform a routine accompanied by musicians playing various drums. The tall local man seen earlier arrives wearing a kilt and the Carlin How Gala Queen shakes hands with a woman wearing civic chains while a photograph is taken. The West View Majestic Coronettes juvenile jazz band perform a routine after which a fancy dress competition is judged featuring one boy dressed in newspaper with a banner of his back reading ‘Carlin How Gala 1990.’ Nearby a woman dressed as the Queen of Heart and several other women dressed as various male character including one as a schoolboy eating a hamburger. Members of the Abasindi Co-Operative perform a traditional African dance routine accompanied by musicians playing traditional hand drums. The all-woman ensemble dance with both spears and shields and are joined by a figure dressed in a straw costume and mask. With the dancing over the showground is taken up by men in Medieval costumes performing a display of mock fighting using jousting sticks and swords much to the amusement of the crowds. A man with a megaphone calls names out of winning juvenile jazz bands with representatives coming forward to collect their awards to the cheers of their contemporaries. A group of men in rugby tops and boots prepare for and take part in a game of tug-o-war watched by a cheering crowd. A concert by the Abasindi Co-Operative taking place inside a hall at night with several traditional African dance routines being performed for a watching crowd. As the concert draws to a close many of the younger children seated on the floor get up and begin to dance along with the other performers. The dancing over the children gathers around a man playing the steel drum, the film comes to an end with him and his colleagues performing a version of ‘Oh When the Saints Go Marching In.’