Shetland residents woke up to strange lines on the beach…and we can reveal the mystery will follow to Stornoway, Aberdeen, Inverness and Wick.
Behind the mysterious attention-grabbing patterns are Invisible Dances – secret arts pieces performed under the cover of night.
The series of performances have taken place unannounced at locations around the world. And after 55 performances in 14 countries around the globe and 200 participants involved to date, Invisible Dances have arrived in Scotland.
Over the weekend, St Ninians beach in Shetland saw a surprise performance and residents of Stornoway, Aberdeen, Inverness and Wick should keep their eyes peeled over the coming months for future surprise dances.
Invisible Dances performed under the cover of night
The Invisible Dances were conceived by Germany-based dancer and choreographer Elisabeth Schilling as a way to create international performance during the global Covid-19 lockdown.
The shows use local dancers to perform the movements at night and local artists to map the movements in biodegradable chalk which leaves a temporary artwork that washes away in the next rain.
In the morning after the dance has taken place, the cities and streets are clad in colour for the public to enjoy, to dance along and imagine the dances no-one has seen.
You can watch our video below to see how St Andrews was transformed overnight.
Performing at night was also a clever solution to lockdown restrictions, ensuring crowds do not gather to watch the unique performances.
The Invisible Dances combine dance and visual art in a poetic and playful way. The aim of this work is to bring dance and culture directly back to city centres. Elisabeth, who managed Invisible Dances all over the world from her home in Germany, hopes locals will engage with the unique project.
The Scottish tour is funded by Creative Scotland – the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland.
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