Royal Albert Hall, Rolls-Royce plc and Cirque du Soleil join forces to inspire future generations of UK engineers
Wobbly trees, motorized stages and Russian swings - engineering through the eyes of a school pupil.

WESTMINSTER, UK, April 03, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- An educational project at the Royal Albert Hall has brought together Rolls-Royce plc, City of Westminster, Cirque du Soleil, Exscitec at Imperial College to inspire the UK's future engineers. Since January, 500 school children between 9-12 years old, have been taking part in Icarus II, a unique educational programme which has seen them tackling engineering and creative challenges to create 3D set models for a production of Cirque du Soleil's Varekai.

After a visit to watch the magical Cirque du Soleil's Varekai at the Royal Albert Hall, 14 schools across London received an engineering tool kit and a day's training with Rolls-Royce engineers at Imperial College. Ongoing school visits and support from Rolls-Royce engineers inspired the pupils to research, design and build stage models that incorporated elements of the Varekai production, including wobbly trees that would allow artists to swing from treetops, motors and rigging for revolving stages and Russian Swings.

The 10 week project was led by the Royal Albert Hall's Learning & Participation Department as part of their ongoing educational outreach. Alastair Tallon, Head of Learning and Participation praised those taking part and outlined the relevance of such an initiative, "When we asked teachers what educational support they needed the answer we most often received was 'in technology and science'. By putting maths, team working, design and engineering skills into the context of a stage production, this project engages pupils and we hope will inspire some of the engineers of tomorrow. The involvement of Cirque du Soleil, Rolls-Royce and Imperial College was a magical match of skills, talent and creativity. We're grateful to City of Westminster and all partners for committing to this inventive project."

A total of 514 pupils took part this year, incorporating the project into classes across the curriculum including maths, after school projects and art & design. Year 7 Students at Westminster Academy used the Icarus II project to spark conversations across the curriculum including discussions about the economy and employment as well as art.

The 10 week project culminated in a presentation of all the models to engineers from Rolls-Royce, representatives from Cirque du Soleil, the City of Westminster and the Learning & Participation Department at the Royal Albert Hall. The engineers praised the children on the progress they had made over the short period of time and recognised their ability to share ideas, overcome differences and express their imagination.

"The original goal of the project was to raise the profile of engineering," said Helen Bishop, Head of Community Relations at Rolls-Royce plc. "It's tremendous to see the imagination on display which is the end result of the participants' teamwork and perseverance. The pupils started working with motors and got to grips with some of the important thought processes and theories. Engineering benefits from fresh thinking and teamwork. Whether it's a wobbly tree or a jet engine, problem-solving techniques are vital. And it was clear today that many of those important lessons were well-learned by the budding engineers."

Gemma Young, Capability Acquisiton Engineer - Turbines, Rolls-Royce plc said; "We've all been inspired by this project - the participants as well as the pupils. When I asked one school how they came up with their ideas they said it was in their dreams. Putting complicated subject matter into a fantastic setting is a great way to keep young people involved."

Cirque du Soleil's Esther Gagne sees the company's involvement in this project as a key part of their contribution to community outreach. "We want to be a good neighbour and our relationship with the Royal Albert Hall allows us to do that in programmes like Icarus II."

The Icarus II programme is led by the Royal Albert Hall's Learning & Participation Department which runs one of the most wide-ranging school programmes in the UK. Icarus II was funded by Royal Commission of the Exhibition of 1851, Rolls-Royce plc, City of Westminster and Cirque du Soleil.

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Stephanie Rock
Royal Albert Hall
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Westminster, UK
United Kingdom SW7 2AP
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