Children get ready to dance to celebrate the Games (From Ilkley Gazette)

Children get ready to dance to celebrate the Games

10:30am Friday 22nd June 2012 in Local news

Children from Ilkley and Menston will join 10,000 other pupils from across the Bradford district to be involved in a spectacular music, art and dance event to celebrate the Olympic Games.

Bradford Council is behind the Sports and Cultural Olympiad event, which kicks off at the Bradford Bulls’ Odsal stadium on Monday, and will include children from Ben Rhydding and Menston primary schools and Ilkley Grammar School.

The opening event will hosted by children’s entertainer Barney Harwood and include a world record attempt at the most pupils doing Zumba on the pitch, covering the pitch with Olympic-themed pictures created by schools on bedsheets, an RAF parachute display and fly-past and a Mega Sing event.

The rest of the week will involve thousands of pupils in a series of major sport, music and art events at the stadium called a Sport and Cultural Carousel.

These events include a Rhythms of the World percussion workshop, a sport carousel, a High School Musical dance carousel, while Southbank Sinfonia and local composer Barry Russell will be working with four primary schools and four secondary school in a composition/film project based around the Olympics Councillor Ralph Berry, the Council’s executive member for children and young people’s services, said: “This week of events is impressive and will provide an opportunity for thousands of children and young people from across the Bradford district to take part in a big event.

“Schools have been preparing for this for weeks and we are looking forward to seeing many quality performances.”