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MULTIMILLION-POUND BALLERZ DOME OPENS WITH STAR-STUDDED FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT
Famous names from the world of football , music and entertainment competed in a football tournament to launch the multimillion-pound Ballerz Dome at Bluewater shopping centre on 16 May , ahead of the official opening to the public on Saturday 18 May .
Ballerz was created by Rio Ferdinand , Bobby Zamora , Roberto Carlos and Mark Noble , alongside a team of sport and hospitality industry specialists . The 30,000 sqft football dome is home to an immersive football experience and six-a-side , stadium-style 5G pitch loaded with tech , including instant goal replays , together with pro changing rooms , stadium-style seating and a players ’ tunnel .
“ We ’ re giving the beautiful game a makeover ,” said Rio Ferdinand . “ With a stunning pitch and unique touches that ’ ll create an electric atmosphere including big screen replays , crowd noise and all your best match highlights ready to share , Ballerz is designed to make every player feel like a star .” The Battle of the Ballerz tournament featured four teams of footballers , musicians , influencers and competition winners . The player lineup included Ballerz ’ s football founders as well as DJ Mark Knight , Lioness legend Fara Williams , professional freestyler Harriet Pavlou , former England player Joe Cole and Charlton Athletic squad members .
TURNER CONTEMPORARY COLLABORATE WITH RNIB TO HIGHLIGHT IMPORTANCE OF ALT TEXT
Turner Contemporary have partnered with leading sight loss charity the Royal National Institute of Blind People ( RNIB ) and MullenLowe UK to raise awareness of the importance of using Alternative Text ( Alt Text ) on visual content to ensure it ’ s accessible to blind and partially sighted people .
Alt Text is a written description of the image , read aloud by a screen reader to help people with sight loss understand the content of the image and to engage with it . Turner Contemporary , RNIB and Mullen Lowe UK created an image description of Another Time , Antony Gormley ’ s cast-iron sculpture located on Fulsam Rock to mark Global Accessibility Awareness Day was 16 May . Another Time is one of a hundred solid cast-iron figures by Antony Gormley that explore the experience of being human . The sculpture disappears under the sea when the tide comes in , highlighting what ’ s hidden from blind and partially sighted people if Alt Text isn ’ t included when posting visual content online .
Martin Wingfield , RNIB ’ s director of brand , said : “ The aim of our campaign for this year ’ s Global Accessibility Awareness Day was to highlight how the public , brands and organisations can use Alt Text to make their content as accessible as possible . Our motto is always to think of accessibility as a love note – it tells people we want you here as well .”
ICON THEATRE , ZOONATION : THE KATE PRINCE COMPANY AND AMINA KHAYYAM DANCE COMPANY PRESENT GHOST SHIPS AT THE HISTORIC DOCKYARD CHATHAM
This autumn , award-winning Medway-based Icon Theatre presents its latest production , Ghost Ships at The Historic Dockyard Chatham from Wednesday 25 - Saturday 28 September 2024 , commemorating 40 years since the former Royal Dockyard ’ s closure .
Ghost Ships is a co-production with acclaimed Hip Hop dance company ZooNation : The Kate Prince Company . This new immersive dance-theatre work is part of Medway Culture Fest 2024 , a year-long programme of cultural activity celebrating Medway ’ s creativity and rich history , marking the 40th anniversary of Chatham Dockyard ’ s closure . Through athletic high-energy dance , Ghost Ships will take an unflinching look at the impact its ships have had on people ’ s lives , from local workers employed at the dockyard to those living in communities around the world .
Ghost Ships is being created by a collaborative creative team led by Icon Theatre ’ s artistic director , Nancy Hirst , with choreography from ZooNation : The Kate Prince Company led by its associate artistic director Dannielle ‘ Rhimes ’ Lecointe , and associate choreography by Amina Khayyam , artistic director of Amina Khayyam Dance Company . Amina Khayyam said : “ Ghost Ships provides a huge opportunity to look , explore and examine closer into one of the deepest and darkest moments of our colonial history . Only when we know our history , can we make sense of the world around us today .” www . insidekent . co . uk • 181