Silk Road: Tours, News, and Articles

THE countdown to Sheffield Children's Festival began this week with the launch of the colourful programme a month before the start on June 14. The major annual event in the city's civic, cultural and educational calendar provides more than 20,000 children and young people from 130 schools in Sheffield with the opportunity to develop their creativity in learning and to take part in cultural activities.

Sponsored this year by Taylor Woodrow and Arts & Business, it will take the theme of the ancient Silk Road trade route connecting Asia and Rome. With new festival manager Richard Johnson at the helm there are one or two innovations this year, although he has for the most part stuck with the winning formula.

The leaner and greener festival brochure is printed on 80% recycled paper. Another obvious change is seen in a new route for the festival centrepiece, the Lord Mayor's Parade on Saturday, July 5.

It will assemble in Devonshire Green and depart at noon to travel along Devonshire Street, Division Street, across Barkers Pool, down the side of the Town Hall along Surrey Street to finish on Tudor Square, where there will be music, performances, stalls and entertainment.

Museums Sheffield will also be encouraging people to visit the China in Yorkshire: The Return of the Ivories exhibition in Graves Art Gallery. Visual art is as always an important strand of the festival with two main exhibitions taking place. Silk Road Treasures is an exhibition in the Workstation (July 4-18) of more than 1,000 pieces of arts and crafts created by children from more than 70 schools who have been working with professional artists to produce work relating to the Silk Road theme.

Artwork created by children overseas will be on display at the Same Difference exhibition, run by development charity International Service. Visitors will have the opportunity to add artwork to the exhibition, which will take place in the Winter Garden (June 23-29) and then the Workstation (July 4-18). Throughout the festival there will be musical performances, ranging from classical concerts to jazz, blues and funk.

Music in the Round have been helping develop children's musical skills by working with them to produce two musical performances, Giddy Goat (June 25) and Power Plus (June 18-19), which will both be performed in Sheffield Cathedral. The cathedral will also host a premiere performance of the Sheffield Music Academy new composition, the Cutlery Concerto. There is even going to be Sheffield's very own the Heritage Park's Got Talent event (June 23). Performers will include local singer/songwriter Sun and the Heritage Park School Band.

Performances created for the festival include Sharrow Primary School's London Road (July 4) and Malin Bridge Primary School's The Robin Files (June 27) and new interpretations of familiar classics such as Reach for the Stage Musical Theatre School's production of Oliver! (July 11) and High Storrs' version of The Tempest (July 8-9). A Children's Dance Festival celebrates the dancework created by over 630 children at schools across Sheffield. It showcases professional dance and is managed by Sheffield-born dancer Rebecca Hayter. The three main performances are Abundance (June 26), Dance in the Plants (June 30) and Olympic Dance (July 8). Brochures are available from libraries, the Tourist Information Centre and the Winter Garden or by calling the Festival Office on 0114 281 4050. For online information visit www.eventsheffield.co.uk

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