YOUNG people from Liskeard and Lostwithiel will be among more than 300 students from across Cornwall performing a unique version of a celebrated contemporary dance piece at the Eden Project next week.

Fourteen schools and colleges will be showcasing their creative responses to Ghost Dances, the 1981 masterpiece by famed choreographer Christopher Bruce, on Thursday, July 20, in and around the Mediterranean Biome.

In a creative cross-arts project entitled Ghost Dancers, the students, aged from five to 18, have been working with internationally-renowned dance company Rambert and Cornish dance group Dance Republic 2. 

Set to traditional Chilean music, the original piece was written in tribute to the victims of political oppression in South America and tells the stories of the daily lives of ordinary people which are interrupted by death in the form of ‘ghost dancers’.

The young people involved in the Ghost Dancers project have created their own interpretations of the piece through dance, music, and costumes, working with composers funded by the Cornwall Music Hub and artists Alessandra Ausenda, Amanda Lorens and Lizzie Black.

Among then performers will be students from Liskeard Hillfort and Lostwithiel schools.

Christina Romero Cross from Dance Republic 2 said: ‘Located in specially selected sites in and around the Mediterranean Biome, from the spiral garden to the grand steps and the story-telling space inside the biome, visitors are invited to follow the map provided to find each performance and installation.’

Bran Howell, education specialist at the Eden Project, said: ‘It’s fantastic to have such an exciting project with lots so many of young people involved.’

The performances will take place from 1pm to 3pm on Thursday, July 20, in the Mediterranean Biome and is open to all visitors at no extra charge.

Families of the performers can pre-book tickets into Eden at www.edenproject.com for a reduced rate through their respective schools.