CODE by Justice in Motion/Dancin’ Oxford

About CODE by Justice in Motion

The phone vibrates…a message…times, numbers, deals…and a warning. All in code. 

So young and so troubled. At home, in school, on the street. There’s no way out – is there?

Dancin’ Oxford, in conjunction with Justice in Motion, will present the world premiere of CODE at its Summer Dance Festival in Oxford on 19 and 20 August 2023.

CODE is an original physical theatre/dance work by Justice in Motion exploring the growing levels of child exploitation across regional UK by criminal gangs based in large cities.

Mobile phones are used by the gangs to organise the sale, distribution and financing of drugs throughout the regions – hence the crime is colloquially known as “county lines”.

This energetic, breath-taking, pulsing, visually stimulating performances tell an unforgettable tale of one young person who falls prey to a gang. Groomed with gifts and coerced with threats, their victim takes on the dangerous business of drug running. The result is a visually stunning, breath-taking, and mesmerising piece of theatre. 

CODE was developed through a research and development phase, funded by Arts Council England, and then a series of workshops with young people, run in association with Dancin’ Oxford.

Justice in Motion’s research has encompassed organisations working on the front line, as well as collecting real stories from young victims and survivors.

CODE brings together trials bikes, parkour, physical theatre and live rap music to establish a narrative that delves into the crime and its effects on young people.

---

Tickets

---

Ticketing information

CODE will be performed outdoors on Oxford Broad Street on 19 August at noon and 3.00pm, and at Barton Neighbourhood Centre, Headington, on 20 August at 2.00pm and 5.00pm.

All performances are free to attend.