Sirens will sound around the rocks for Olympiad (From Wharfedale Observer)

Sirens will sound around the rocks for Olympiad

4:14pm Thursday 14th June 2012 in Leisure

Sirens and other unconventional musical instruments will sound at Ilkley’s Cow And Calf Rocks in three performances of a dramatic choral work.

The natural landmark will be the venue for performances of Irresistible – Call Of The Sirens on June 21, 22 and 23, taking place in conjunction with the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

The piece is a collaboration between Jez Colborne, pictured left, a multi-talented composer, performer and musician with a learning disability, and Bradford-based Mind The Gap, an award-winning theatre company that works with learning disabled and non-disabled actors as equals.

Irresistible features a cast of more than 30, including three musicians, who will perform seven new songs influenced by a mix of musical genres, from blues and country to rap and hip-hop, against a specially designed backdrop, which will be projected directly onto the ancient rock formation to create an evocative setting for the piece.

Driven by a life-long fascination with sirens, Jez can hear music where most hear noise. This fixation inspired the plot of Irresis-tible, which sees Jez, as the lead character, lured by the sounds of the ‘sirens’ – three ‘punk prince-sses’, beautiful and dangerous women, who try to lure him away – and then follows his journey to get back to his ‘hobo’ friends.

Audience members will follow Jez’s journey, quite literally, starting at Ilkley Town Hall before being transported by bus to the Cow And Calf to watch this stunning, site-specific spectacular. Jez said: “Irresistible brings a whole new meaning to sirens, mixing them with singers, music and lighting to make sirens the star of the show.”

Tickets are limited for this event so people are being encouraged to book now at the mind-the-gap.org.uk/irresistible website.

Irresistible will also be presented around the National Theatre and Southbank Centre in London in September, but these performances are the only opportunity to see Irresistible in Yorkshire in 2012.

The Cow And Calf performances will take place on June 21 at 7pm and 10.30pm, June 22 at 6.30pm and 9pm and June 23 at 6.30pm and 9pm. Tickets are £13.50, concessions £9.50 and a family ticket (two adults, two children) £27.