Forbidden fruitful

Tuesday (May 20) sees the first of a series of Heritage Days at Goodrich Castle for local schools combining history and arts activities which tie in with the project and youngsters at John Masefield, Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School, Wyebridge, Whitecross, Johyn Kyrle and Goodrich Schools are starting to go through dance moves with director and choreographer Helen Parlor, known for her work with Motionhouse.

The stunning setting of the castle ruins, near Ross-on-Wye, is the venue for Forbidden, a huge community promenade performance with a cast of more than 150 including professional dancers and live music.

The castle itself is the stage, with dancers - some in the air - performing in, on and about the buildings, with the audience moving around the catch the action.

And the story is an absolute winner, a Romeo and Juliet tale based on the real historic romance between Alice Birch and Charles Clifford, lovers from opposing sides in the Civil War. Like Romeo and Juliet, the tale ends dramatically, but not happily. Let's just say the River Wye features in it.

The performances are just a part of the major dance and heritage project being organised by DanceFest in partnership with English Heritage and in association with other local agencies including Herefordshire Council, Worcester Arts Workshop, The Courtyard Centre for the Arts, The Music Pool, and Herefordshire schools.

The Forbidden project aims to bring the heritage and history of Goodrich Castle alive through dance, art and performance just when everyone's saying school these days is all about tests and league tables, so can you wonder I want to plug it.

Herefordshire schools and community groups are working with professional dancers, artists, storytellers, musicians, history specialists and role players, learning about Goodrich's heritage and celebrating it through creative work.

The performances run from July 10 to 12. Go to www.dancefest.co for more details. I'm flagging the event up in plenty of time as booking will be absolutely essential.

More to come soon ...