Birmingham European Performing Arts Consortium

BEPAC(Birmingham European Performing Arts Consortium) is a collaborative initiative uniting emerging artists from Northern, Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe, supported by their respective communities from Czechia, Greece, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine. While Birmingham boasts a vibrant and well-established arts scene, artists from many parts of Europe have historically been underrepresented. This lack of visibility and support for emerging European artists inspired Dana Klampárová, Director of the Czech & Slovak Club UK (CzSkClubUK), and their Slovak folk ensemble “Breza” to take action.

In 2021, a significant milestone was achieved when CzSkClubUK was awarded funding from Birmingham City Council to lead a project aimed at bringing together local artists of Eastern European heritage. This effort was aligned with Birmingham’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games and the 2022 Festival. Thus, the foundation of BEPAC was laid, bringing together over 100 Eastern European artists and performers. Their first major UK performance, the Slavic pagan tradition “Drowning of Winter”, took place in the spring of 2022 at the Midland Arts Centre in Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham. The event attracted hundreds of spectators and garnered national and international media coverage, providing well-deserved recognition for all participants.

We are immensely grateful to our funders and partners, whose support has been crucial in helping us nurture and promote the artists and performers involved in BEPAC. Many of these artists have since continued to grow and thrive, contributing to joint projects such as the Commonwealth Games Anniversary event in 2023 and annual performances of “Drowning of Winter”. We look forward to continuing these collaborations and sharing the rich diversity of Birmingham’s arts scene with new audiences.

If you have a project or event that could benefit from the vibrant culture, energy, and creativity of our performing artists, please refer to the following pages for profiles and contact information of the individual community artists.