The Berkshire School Games – Opening Ceremonies
Expression of Interest
Creative Junction is seeking Expressions of Interest from all schools and education settings from across Berkshire to perform at one of five School Games Opening Ceremonies.
Inspired by London 2012, The Berkshire School Games is an Olympic-style county sporting competition that will give thousands of opportunities for children and young people from across Berkshire to connect and compete between 2012 and 2014.
Your school is perhaps already involved in this exciting project that will allow students to access education and training, personal development, cultural activity and be set on the path to a healthy future lifestyle.
We would also like to give your school the opportunity to be selected to perform a high quality art, creative or cultural piece in an Opening Ceremony to an audience of hundreds of their peers, teachers and VIPs.
The School Games is a national programme delivered locally, and here in Berkshire we believe that the inclusion of a strong cultural element, through a series of Opening Ceremonies, is key to ensuring the strengths and skills of all our children and young people are celebrated.
The Opening Ceremonies are now a renowned, important and much anticipated part of the global Olympics and Paralympics, and our local Opening Ceremonies aim to have a similar status, profile and impact in the context of The School Games. Professional artists will link the school performances to provide a further spectacular element to each Opening Ceremony.
Please read the further information below and return the Expression of Interest form below to anna.jones@creativejunction.org.uk by Friday 10th February.
Please post any CDs/DVDs to Creative Junction, West Wing Arts Centre, Stoke Road, Slough SL2 5AY.
Please call Anna Jones with any questions or for an informal chat on 07765 405 378.
Creative Junction will acknowledge receipt of your application and contact you by the end of February to:
- Let you know if your school has been selected to perform and at which Opening Ceremony
- Arrange a one hour teachers’ planning meeting at a central Berkshire location
- Confirm rehearsal details at a central Berkshire location
We look forward to hearing from you – thank you.
Creative Junction has been commissioned by The Berkshire School Games Local Organising Committee, led by Park House School, Berkshire County Sports Partnership and West Berkshire Local Authority to coordinate and produce the Opening Ceremonies.
Creative Junction is a progressive social enterprise that builds cultural collaborations to enable young people to develop skills, values and knowledge for positive change in their future and our world. We are a point at which ideas come together, connections are made and new turns are taken. www.creativejunction.org.uk
Further Information
Dates, venues and rehearsals
We have secured two fantastic venues for The Berkshire School Games Opening Ceremonies.
On the day, groups would need to be at the venue from approx 9am with the Opening Ceremonies taking place from approx 10am – 11am on:
Thursday 19th and Friday 20th April at Bradfield College www.bradfieldcollege.org.uk
Tuesday 26th, Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th June at Thames Valley Athletic Club (TVAC) www.deleisure.com
Each Opening Ceremony will have a different audience: primary schools for the April dates plus 26th June; secondary schools for the 27th and 28th June, but we aim to select a mix of schools, performance styles, groups and year groups for each Opening Ceremony.
We are expecting that schools will only perform at one Opening Ceremony, but you are welcome to express an interest to be considered for as many as you wish.
For April Opening Ceremonies:
Selected schools will attend a one hour teachers planning meeting the week of 19th March and a groups’ rehearsal on either Tuesday 17th or Wednesday 18th April. Final details will be given at the end of February.
For June Opening Ceremonies:
Selected schools will attend a one hour teachers planning meeting the week of 11th June and a groups’ rehearsal the week of 18th June. Final details will be given at the end of February.
All schools will be responsible for arranging and paying for travel to and from the rehearsal and performance venue, and for providing appropriate staff to be with their group(s).
The performances
Performances could include songs, pieces of music, dance, parkour free running, poetry, theatre, circus…
We will be selecting high quality pieces that will make an impact on a large audience and will have either already been performed for an audience, or rehearsed to a high standard. For each Opening Ceremony we will be looking for some spectacular pieces that can be the headline and finale performances.
We are particularly interested in pieces that have an Olympic or Paralympic theme, or explore related themes such as internationalism, competition or friendship.
We are looking for pieces that are between approximately one to ten minutes in length.
It is unlikely that we will be able to select pieces that require heavy or large equipment and we cannot provide any equipment for the performances at the Opening Ceremonies.
Schools can express an interest in several groups performing; only one EOI is needed per school, but please detail individual groups. School partnerships can express an interest in one or more of their groups performing; only one EOI is needed per partnership, but please detail individual schools and groups.
All performers will be given a Berkshire School Games t shirt to wear at the Opening Ceremony.
