In a sports hall in Holmewood, something extraordinary is unfolding. A scrap-metal collector. A grandmother passing down sacred rituals. A young boy forced to move from open fields to a concrete council estate.
RIDE!, a powerful new production premiering this September as part of Bradford 2025, fuses rap, dance, and theatre to tell the story of a Gypsy family facing systemic barriers and forging resilience in a world that often tries to exclude them.
Created in collaboration with Spin Arts, Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange (Leeds GATE), and local communities, RIDE! is not just a performance it’s an act of cultural storytelling, political urgency, and radical inclusion.
Ahead of the premiere, Asian Standard sat down with writer and rapper Big Deli, Leeds GATE Communications Lead Rachel Trafford, and producer Sarah Shead of Spin Arts, to talk about the show’s origins, its message, and the challenges of bringing it to life.
“A story that’s all too familiar” Big Deli
For Deli, real name Will, the inspiration was deeply personal.
“As a young boy and man, I’ve faced my fair share of prejudices just like Jimmy (the lead character),” he tells Asian Standard. “I was ripped away from the land we owned, and when the chance arose, I knew I could give a real account of a story that’s all too familiar among my people.”
That story told through an electrifying blend of live rap, contemporary dance, and large-scale visuals challenges stereotypes and centres a community that is often overlooked.
“Being a Gypsy is our blood, our name,” Deli says. “It’s not just a lifestyle, it’s a culture. A heritage. A history of survival.”
From lockdown moments to centre stage producer Sarah Shead
The roots of RIDE! stretch back to 2020, when Bradford was bidding for UK City of Culture.
Shead recalls a defining lockdown moment: seeing a Gypsy man arrive in her neighbourhood with a horse and cart, delivering fruit and vegetables to isolated elders.
“I was just really inspired by that resilience, the entrepreneurial spirit,” she says. “That moment formed a connection, and it led us to create another show with the community… and eventually RIDE!.”
Determined to put an authentic voice at the centre of the project, Shead reached out to Travellers’ Times and found Deli.
“He’s so full of heart, grace, and truth. He’s not just telling this story, he’s living it.”
Authenticity and inclusion Rachel Trafford, Leeds GATE
For Trafford, the production is a landmark in representation.
“Gypsy and Traveller communities have deep Yorkshire roots. There’s pride, there’s family, there’s tradition but there’s also huge pressure to adapt,” she tells Asian Standard. “RIDE! reflects the push and pull between holding onto your culture and meeting the demands of modern society.”
That tension runs throughout the show: from tightening legislation that criminalises roadside stopping to the quiet grief of moving into ‘settled’ housing.
In one of the show’s most emotionally raw scenes, Jimmy’s father modelled partly on Deli’s own experiences faces a moment of vulnerability rarely shown in media portrayals of Gypsy men.
Building trust, breaking barriers
Shead emphasises that the project’s success hinged on years of relationship-building.
“You can’t just drop in and expect people to open up,” she says. “It’s about showing up without judgment. Going to their picnics. Listening. Visiting their horses. Building genuine relationships.”
This approach has allowed RIDE! to move beyond tokenism. More than 400 people participated in creative consultations, including young people on sites across West Yorkshire and women sharing stories from their own lives.
More than a show
For Deli, RIDE! is a love letter to his culture, to Bradford, and to the possibility of empathy.
“My end goal is to bring our culture to light after years of being in the dark,” he says. “To tell a story that Gypsies and Bradford can both resonate with.”
For Trafford, the legacy must go beyond performance:
“RIDE! isn’t just about visibility, it’s about solidarity. And that requires ongoing listening, funding, and representation.”
Experience RIDE!
RIDE! premieres on 19 September at the TFD Centre, Holmewood, with additional performances on 20 September, including audio-described and BSL-interpreted shows.
Tickets are £5 and £2.50 for BD4 residents or Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. All proceeds go directly back into the community.
“It’s about meeting people where they are,” says Shead. “Taking world-class work into local spaces and saying: you belong here. This is for you.”
