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Barbican looks east to boost Olympics arts programme
Louse Jury, Chief Arts Correspondent25 Jun 2008
The Barbican is looking east to forge new links with the thriving cultural scene on its doorstep.
Today, managing director Sir Nicholas Kenyon will confirm partnerships with venues such as the Theatre Royal Stratford East.
The strategy positions the Barbican to play a major part in the 2012 Olympic Games arts programme. It is the nearest of London's major arts centres to the planned Olympic village but links now being forged will continue long after competitors have gone home.
The strategy began under Sir Nicholas's predecessor Sir John Tusa.
Sir Nicholas, who took over in October, said: "The Barbican over the last 20 years has developed into one of the world's leading internationally important arts centres. What we're now saying is for the next period we will serve the city in a very distinctive way by facing east.
"There's been an absolute renaissance in east London with Spitalfields, Hoxton, Clerkenwell and Whitechapel. There's a vibrancy in these areas. What the Barbican can do is to partner, support and nurture."
The Barbican will take on hip hop street dance show Pied Piper, premiered at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. This follows the success of reggae musical The Harder They Come, which made the same journey and ended up in the West End.
Links with the local community in east London will be built up. "Of course they want great art but they want to participate and that is what we will be developing," said Sir Nicholas.
Highlights of the forthcoming programme include the opening of the London Jazz Festival - the first time it has done so at the Barbican. London Symphony Orchestra dates include a collaboration with the Mark Morris Dance Group, a premiere of a work for Malian kora player Toumani Diabaté and an orchestral performance of songs for Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons.
Londoners aged nine to 16 will get the chance to play under Sir Colin Davis. The conductor wants the Barbican Young Orchestra to showcase the wealth of young musical talent in Britain. The venue will also host an exhibition on architect Le Corbusier.
