On Thursday 10th July, at 6pm, Peninsula Square on Greenwich Peninsula will come alive when over fifty local school children take to the stage in a free, oneoff performance as part of Big Dance 2008 (5-13 July), a week-long celebration of dance in all its styles and forms Dancing on the Peninsula is a collaboration between Art in the Public Realm Greenwich Peninsula and Greenwich Dance Agency (gDA), in partnership with Big Dance 2008 and Greenwich Council’s Cultural Olympiad programme, celebrating the role of art and sport in our communities. The performance will bring together resident gDA choreographer Temujin Gill, six professional dance artists, and over 50 children from the Millennium and Halstow Primary Schools, who attended gDA’s after school dance club. Over the last six weeks the gDA dancers have been working with the children to create a site specific dance celebration inspired by the Art in the Public Realm Greenwich Peninsula’s themes of sustainability, regeneration and the natural and built environments. Drawing on the values of Big Dance 2008 and the Cultural Olympiad the performance also references the idea of competition versus cooperation and its existence within the areas of sport and environmental sustainability. During the performance the dancers convey these themes with contrasting dynamics and relay races as a means of entering and exiting the performance area. Vivienne Reiss, Co-Director of Art in the Public Realm Greenwich Peninsula said: “Through the art programme we want to engage the diverse communities on the peninsula, and surrounding areas, in the regeneration process. We are working with local artists and arts organisations such as gDA to do this, the ambition is to animate the public realm and create a sense of place.” Choreographer Temujin Gill said: “The aim of this project is to encourage young people to engage with, as well as, celebrate the vitality of nature and ask questions about our relationship to the earth’s resources as well as our use of them. Set against the backdrop of the “Living Wall” at Peninsula Square, which features water, fauna and man made constructions, this dance piece explores these themes through the language of healthy competition and cooperation, key factors evident in sports activities and the balance of the natural world.” Caron Loudy Artist Programme Manager at the gDA said: "This project has given our children's groups an amazing opportunity to make a different kind of performance in a new and exciting environment. Hopefully people visiting The O2 on 10th July will stumble across our performance and be inspired by what they see and possibly sign up for a dance class!" In addition to the live dance performance, filmmaker Ros Cheshire is working with the dance artists and choreographer to document the Dancing on the Peninsula project. The participating children have been filmed dancing at various locations around the Peninsula including Millennium Primary School, the old coal jetty, and the Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park. This will be combined with footage of the live dance to produce a separate art work, a creative response to dance and movement through the environment. It will be shown in August as part of the Greenwich Cultural Olympiad programme. Dancing on the Peninsula will inform further projects initiated to coincide with the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships to be held at The O2 in 2009 and the Olympics and Paralympics 2012. Cllr John Fahy, Cabinet Member for Culture and the Olympics, said: “This is one of the first events to take place as part of our Cultural Olympiad programme. In Greenwich we are determined that local people of all ages will have a chance to play an active part in this once-in-a-lifetime celebration. Greenwich Council is working with arts groups, schools and community organisations to plan a diverse and exciting programme, which will celebrate all that is great about the borough." Art in the Public Realm Greenwich Peninsula is a public art initiative led by English Partnerships, the national regeneration agency, and a client group of key stakeholders, including Greenwich Peninsula Regeneration Ltd (a joint venture between Lend Lease and Quintain Estates and Development plc), Greenwich Millennium Village Ltd (a joint venture development by Countryside Properties plc and Taylor Wimpey Developments Ltd in association with English Partnerships), Arts Council England and Greenwich Council. For more information about Art in the Public Realm Greenwich Peninsula programme visit the website:http://www.artongreenwichpeninsula.com/ ENDS For more information please contact: Anoushaa Massouleh at ING Media on 020 7392 1984 or emailanoushaa@ing-media.com Notes to editors Images of the live dance performance on Thursday 10th July, will be available to the media on Friday 11th July. Please contact ING Media to request them. The Art on Greenwich Peninsula client group is headed up by national regeneration agency, English Partnerships, and includes representatives of Arts Council England, Greenwich Council and the peninsula’s two principle developers, Greenwich Peninsula Regeneration Limited (a joint venture between Lend Lease and Quintain Developments Plc) and Greenwich Millennium Village Ltd (a joint venture between Countryside Properties Plc and Taylor Wimpey Developments Ltd). It was set up by English Partnerships to ensure that a collaborative, inclusive approach is adopted to the provision of art in the public realm across the peninsula in support of the area’s ongoing transformation into a well-connected, sustainable community. What is art in the public realm?
Art in the public realm embraces a wide range of activities involving artists - from permanent sitespecific sculpture and the shaping of our environment, to temporary installations or interventions that excite and challenge our perceptions of our environments. It can have a part to play in the regeneration of communities involving a process that encourages local people to embrace new ideas and skills, to develop a sense of ownership, and make decisions about their locality. Artists working alongside other professionals and designers can contribute their conceptual and practical skills to the creation of buildings, structures and public spaces. They bring an extra dimension of thought, research, sensibility and understanding to the design of public places and the way people experience them. Art in the public realm can encompass sculpture, installation, painting, craft, applied arts, design, film and video, sound art, digital art, new media, urban design, architecture, street art, community arts, socially engaged arts practice, process based art and temporary arts events, including festivals and public screenings. English Partnerships is the government’s national regeneration agency. Our aim is to deliver high quality, sustainable growth in England. The agency is overseeing the regeneration of Greenwich peninsula and has invested over £225m in the last ten years. English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation are working with the Department for Communities and Local Government to establish the new Homes and Communities Agency.http://www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/ Arts Council England works to get more art to more people in more places. They develop and promote the arts across England, acting as an independent body at arm’s length from government. Between 2006 and 2008, they will invest £1.1 billion of public money from government and the National Lottery in supporting the arts. This is the bedrock of support for the arts in England. They believe that the arts have the power to change lives and communities, and to create opportunities for people throughout the country. For 2006 to 2008, they have six priorities: taking part in the arts, children and young people, the creative economy, vibrant communities, internationalism and celebrating diversity.http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/ Greenwich Council is the local authority responsible for providing a diverse range of public services to residents and businesses in the inner London borough including refuse collections, social housing and education services. It covers an area of more than 5,000 hectares stretching from Deptford in the west to Thamesmead in the east and Eltham in the South to Woolwich in the north and serves a population of approximately 226,600 people. There are currently more than 100 different languages spoken in the borough, and it’s estimated that about 25 per cent of the Borough’s population are from ethnic groups other than white. The Council's ongoing aim is to make Greenwich the place to live, work, learn and visit. Greenwich Millennium Village Limited is a joint venture development by Countryside Properties plc and Taylor Wimpey Developments Ltd in association with English Partnerships. Countryside Properties Plc is a leader in property development, the creation of sustainable communities and urban regeneration. The Group is widely recognised as a responsible developer which is totally committed to sustainable development. The Company, which was incorporated in 1958, is owned jointly by the Cherry family and Bank of Scotland which is providing the Group with significant funding. Taylor Wimpey Developments Ltd is a part of Taylor Wimpey plc, listed on the London Stock Exchange and the UK’s largest homebuilder. Through its homebuilding brands George Wimpey, Bryant Homes and G2, Taylor Wimpey provides nationwide coverage in the UK, building one bedroom apartments and starter homes up to large detached family houses. As well as operating in the UK, Taylor Wimpey plc builds homes in North America, Spain and Gibraltar. Greenwich Peninsula Regeneration Ltd
The £5 billion regeneration of 190 acres of Greenwich Peninsula led by Lend Lease and Quintain Estates and Development PLC working with English Partnerships, will create a thriving new riverside community for London over the next 15 years. 10,000 new homes in distinct residential neighbourhoods 24,000 permanent jobs Peninsula Central - a new business district for London 150 new shops and restaurants 1.6 miles of river frontage; the distance between Waterloo and London Bridge 48 acres of open spaces and parks; the size of Green Park Extensive new community and leisure facilities The O2 entertainment destination delivered and operated by AEG Europe Excellent transport links, situated in zone 2 on the jubilee line Aspiration for the highest environmental standards for new buildings

Lend Lease, listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, is a leading real estate specialist which creates and manages real estates assets around the world. In the UK its business is focussed primarily in the delivery of large scale mixed use schemes which lead to the regeneration of major urban sites. Quintain Estates and Development PLC is a leading property investment and development company specialising in strategic property acquisition, redevelopment, asset management and regeneration across the UK. Quintain operates through three businesses- fund management, property investment and urban regeneration. Quintain is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a FTSE 250 company. Greenwich Dance Agency (gDA) is at the forefront of dance development in the UK. Based in Greenwich town centre, gDA provides a meeting place for professional dance artists and the local community. It produces and promotes a range of activities including classes, workshops and unique events, enabling local people to participate in and experience dance. In addition, it has established a national and international reputation for creating exciting and innovative opportunities for professional artists to develop their skills and extend their practice.