At 1pm on 18 May 2012 - the day the Olympic Torch arrives in the UK – thousands of schoolchildren in the UK and across the world will join together to take part in a world-record breaking dance, created especially for them by Wayne McGregor with an original score, Céleste,  by Scanner and Joel Cadbury.



The Record Attempt is a worldwide warm-up for Big Dance 2012, which is to run from 7-15 July 2012 and is part of the London 2012 Festival With the support of the British Council, the dance will take place simultaneously in over 1,000 schools throughout the UK and across Europe, USA, South America, South-East Asia, the Middle East and the Far East. Each school will learn the same piece of choreography created by Wayne McGregor which is available to download from the Big Dance website now at www.bigdance2012.com.

The current world record for the largest simultaneous multi venue dance is held by the Netherlands, with 1,472 locations and 264,188 people dancing.

Big Dance is one of the world’s biggest and most influential dance festivals, and this year it is one of the highlights of London 2012 Festival, the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad. In 2012, there will be events across the whole country, building up to Big Dance Week from 7 – 15 July.

The programme will feature dance in the streets, in theatres and schools and right into the heart of communities all over the country. The UK’s leading choreographers are taking part, including Wayne McGregor, who will create the centrepiece of Big Dance: a mass dance for over 1,000 dancers in Trafalgar Square on Saturday 14 July. Channel 4 will broadcast a series of specially commissioned new films made in partnership with BAFTA and Big Dance, showcasing young choreographic and directing talent.

Big Dance in London has been funded by Legacy Trust UK, creating a lasting impact from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by funding ideas and local talent to inspire creativity across the UK. The programme is delivered by the Mayor of London, Arts Council England and Foundation for Community Dance with a network of Big Dance Hubs, leading dance organisations around the UK.