Our cultural correspondent Sian has sent a great list of events marking the beginning of the Cultural Olympiad. 

There are some remarkable particiaptory dance opportunities if you or your children have got rhythm – the London Studio open audition and rehearsal are a great opportunity on York Way, the Morphoses event at Sadlers Wells and the creative dance workshop with Ballet Central.  Highlights are below, and the full list is here.
Download cultural_olympiad_launch_newsletter.doc

Open Rehearsal at London Studio Centre & Studio Youth Dance Company Open Audition
Saturday, 27 September, 12:00 – 16:00
London Studio Centre, 42-50 York Way, Islington, N1 9AB
Free.
London Studio Centre is a prestigious professional dance school, which in addition to its full time training courses, offers opportunities to access dance arts in the local community and receive combined expertise of industry professionals. Come and see! The college will be open to visitors wishing to find out more about the college and to access information on the variety of classes on offer as well as the full time training facility. Chance to Dance! Open audition: As part of Open Rehearsal, London Studio Centre is looking for young people aged 15-25yrs who have a serious interest in dance. We will be holding an open audition at 1pm and would like to invite young dancers to become part of Studio Youth Dance Company. To find out more please call 07958 247713. Studio Youth Dance project will run twice weekly and is part of London Studio Centre’s Access and Outreach department.

Creative Dance Workshop with Ballet Central
Friday, 26 September, 17:30-18:45.
Central School of Ballet, 10 Herbal Hill, Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1R 5EG
Free, but booking is essential.  Please call 020 7837 6332 or e-mail info@csbschool.co.uk to book a place. **Booking deadline is 24 September**
Ballet Central will be hosting a creative dance workshop for young dancers based on their current repertoire. The workshop is open to both those who take regular dance classes and those who have no previous dance experience. The young dancers will have the opportunity to work alongside dancers from Ballet Central (Central School of Ballet’s graduate touring company) on choreography inspired by the company’s current repertoire. Parents are invited to watch an informal sharing of work during the last 15 minutes of the class.

Sadler’s Wells Theatre presents: Morphoses Up Close
Saturday, 27 September at 14:30, and Sunday, 28 September at 12:00.
Lilian Baylis Studio, Rosebery Avenue, EC1R 4TN
Tickets: £20, please visit http://www.sadlerswells.com to book.
Up Close is an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience in our intimate studio theatre with Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company.  This very special show is in addition to the much-anticipated 2008 season by the company on our main stage.  Up Close allows audiences to gain a unique insight into the choreographic process.  Choreographers Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Adam Houghland, Edwaard Liang and Pontus Lidberg were each asked to choose a piece of music inspired by the American minimalist movement and create a piece of dance inspired by it.  Each piece will be performed live, preceded by an introduction from Christopher Wheeldon himself, and a short film documenting the development of the work.  The performances will feature a host of dancers form Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, a cast which includes some of the very best dancers in the world.

Museum Mile Walking Tour
Friday, 26 September, 10:00-17:00
Museum Mile, South Camden
Free.
Visit all 13 of the extraordinary museums and galleries located in the historic area stretching Euston Road to the River Thames that make up Museum Mile. An experienced guide will highlight the stories of one or two of the key objects from each of the diverse collections, as well as the history of the Museums. Visit museum-mile.org.uk for more information about Museum Mile.
Presented by In Holborn.

Big Draw National Launch
Friday, 26 – Sunday, 28 September,
10:00-18:00
Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road,  NW1 2BE. Plus on Saturday (27 September) events also occur at University College London, Gower Street and the Wellcome Trust, 215 Euston Road.
Free.
An all-star cast of artists, scientists, archaeologists and architects have pooled their unique talents to present a day filled with drawing-related activities. From drawings by snails and beauty maps to drawing on life will have something for everyone.  Visit bigdraw.org for more information.  University College London and the Wellcome Collection will also both be part of the Museum Mile walk.
Presented by Wellcome and Partners. 

High Wire
Wednesday, 17 September – Sunday, 26 October
11:00-19:00
German Gymnasium, Pancras Road
(opposite the new St Pancras station entrance)
Free.
Art Exhibition featuring a video Installation by Catherine Yass of highwire event performed in Glasgow plus free High Wire Talks taking place for the duration of the exhibition.
Presented by the German Gymnasium.

2012 Poster Designing
Saturday, 27 September, 13:00
Islington Museum, 245 St John Street, Finsbury, EC1V 4NB
Ages: 8-12
Spaces are limited, so visit the museum or call 020 7527 2837 to book a place.
Youngsters aged eight to 12 are invited to come along to the Islington Museum to design a poster for the London 2012 Games. There will be prizes for the best ones. An artist will talk about the history of Olympic posters to set them on their way. This event will also link to the Museum’s new exhibition, ‘Stick no bills – Graphic Islington’, where posters, leaflets and programmes from the past 200 years to advertise Islington’s finest venues will be on display.

180 Briefing: King’s Cross To Euston: London’s New District
Tuesday, 23 September,8:30-11:30
New London Architecture, 26 Store Street, WC1E 7BT
£149 (£129 NLA SUPPORTERS) Free copy of Redefining London: King’s Cross, Bloomsbury, Covent Garden, Holborn, Soho & Fitzrovia for every delegate
A string of exciting developments is creating a brand new district north of the Euston Road. Join us for this 3 hour intensive discussion to get an insight into what is happening to transform one of London’s most challenging inner-city areas. Who are the main players and what are the key developments breathing vitality into the area?
Speakers include:
Bob Allies, Partner, Allies & Morrison Architects
Andrew Barraclough, Director, HOK
Roger Madelin, Joint Chief Executive, Argent Group Plc
Adrian Penfold, Head of Planning & Environment, British Land
Aidan Potter, Founding Director, John McAslan & Partners
Michael Squire, Partner, Squire and Partners
Bob West, Acting Head of Planning, Camden
Gain insight to:
• The London Borough of Camden’s vision for the King’s Cross and Euston area
• Major developments and their impact
• The changing character of this area
• The opportunities available for future development and investment
• Developing connections between the area’s masterplans
More info: http://www.newlondonarchitecture.org/conferences/kingx001.php