BRING together a guy who works in the prison service and a woman who is an amateur weightlifter.

Put them in a room with more than 30 members of the public and a choreographer with a talent for conceptual art and what do you get? Glory.

The definition of glory is fame, praise or honour, and all three may well be bestowed on those taking part in the dance production of the same name running this week at Tramway.

The brainchild of Janice Parker, the creative tour de force behind the acclaimed Private Dancer, this new production is part of the Commonwealth Games cultural programme.

"There is no why as to who is involved. I don't work with an audition system, I really like to have things open to everybody," explains Janice.

"This time, because of the context, I brought in the whole idea of a connection to the Commonwealth and it was really interesting to be free with that word and let people interpret it however they wanted to."

A connection to Glasgow and to the Commonwealth were the only prerequisites for those keen to get involved.

Ask her how she got on working with members of the public, most with no dance experience at all, on this project and Janice's answer is an ebullient: "I love it."

She adds: "I love the aesthetic of ordinary bodies dancing. I think it's about democratising movement and taking people on that journey to hopefully do more than they expect they could do and be part of an artistic process in a way they didn't expect."

The group of about 40 dancers, aged from their 20s to 60s and from all backgrounds, started rehearsals in January, initially for three hours a week, then up to nine hours a week before opening.

The large-scale immersive dance event celebrates the city's rich Commonwealth community and 2014.

Designer Richard Layzell has used the athletes' village as his inspiration.

"When we came here we thought of exploding the house and making it like corners of buildings," he explains, as we walk around the stage set as it goes up at Tramway.

"That led to the idea of using the same kind of materials, but they would have a slightly different feel and would all relate together and feel a bit like a village.

"We didn't know how many dancers there would be to start with. This is a beautiful big space so the idea came quite early of putting the seats all around the edges. The audience get to walk around it and see it change."

A work in progress from the first rehearsal, Glory has changed and evolved as the weeks have gone on.

An intriguing process to say to least for 48-year-old Kenny Barclay from Pollokshields, who works in the prison service.

A Games volunteer, Kenny is keen to get involved in as many activities in the city as possible.

"I had no idea what I was letting myself in for," he laughs, shaking his head.

"From not really understanding where it was going in the first couple of weeks, now we have all the set-piece moves that have built up over time. It has been really interesting and opened up a whole new world. Because there are so many people involved, it's going to be spectacular."

Kerry McLaughlin, 30, from St George's Cross in the city, works as a product designer and in her spare time is a keen weightlifter.

Training to hopefully compete in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, she says the rehearsals for Glory have been far harder than she ever imagined.

"Having never done anything dance-based before, this leaves you completely out of your comfort zone and that's why I wanted to do it," she admits.

"The inclusivity of what Janice does is beautiful, it's encouraging and really nice to know that regardless of your ability you are thought of as number one and everything you contribute is key to the performance.

IT'S mentally challenging more than anything because you don't know whether you're good enough. Is it about being good enough? No, it's about being yourself."

She believes the experience has given her confidence, on and off stage.

"It's a really nice affirmation that, as a human you can do what you want, and I can take that into the gym with me and take it onto the weightlifting platform.

"If I can do it in the Tramway in front of 300 people, I can do it in this room."

From a definition of glory, this is the perfect example of it in action.

l Glory, Tramway, until March 10, not on Sunday but with a matinee on March 8.