Britain’s Got Talent winning dance group Diversity to perform show at Lincoln Castle

Lincoln will be putting a new spin on the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta this summer with the premiere of a street dance tribute to freedom from one of Britain’s most popular dance groups, Diversity.
Diversity - coming to Lincoln Castle. EMN-150704-172442001Diversity - coming to Lincoln Castle. EMN-150704-172442001
Diversity - coming to Lincoln Castle. EMN-150704-172442001

Against the backdrop of one of England’s finest Norman castles, recently re-opened after a £22m restoration, Diversity will be the star attraction at Lincoln Castle’s Magna Carta Anniversary Weekend in June.

Just a short distance from the new underground exhibition home of Lincoln Cathedral’s 1215 Magna Carta – one of only four still surviving – the Britain’s Got Talent winners will perform a new, half-hour, one-off dance based on a theme of freedom.

Perhaps one of the UK’s most unusual Magna Carta events, the evening performance as part of a wider event inside the grounds of the 1,000-year-old castle will cap a celebration weekend across Lincoln on June 13 and 14 to mark the 800th anniversary.

“We are really looking forward to our performance to celebrate ‘freedom’ and thrilled it’s at such a spectacular venue - we’ll see you all there!” said Diversity’s Ashley Banjo.

Magna Carta is one of the world’s most influential documents – an agreement sealed by King John on June 15, 1215 as a practical solution to a political crisis, which in the centuries since has become a potent symbol of liberty and law.

Following a historic reunion of all four surviving manuscripts in London this February, Lincoln’s Magna Carta returned home to take pride of place in the state-of-the-art visitor attraction, the David P J Ross Magna Carta Vault, part of Lincoln Castle Revealed, a four-year restoration, which re-opened on April 1.

Now Lincoln is set for yet another Magna Carta first.

With four sell out UK tours behind them and a fifth on the way, Diversity’s unique new dance - specially commissioned and written by the group for the ‘The Magna Party at the Castle’ event – will take place on Saturday June 13, crowning two days of family events both inside the castle and across the heritage city of Lincoln.

Gates will open for the Saturday evening event at 7pm with The Magna Party starting at 8pm, which will showcase local and regional talent featuring music and dance performances, building up to the finale with Diversity. The event will finish at 10pm.

Tickets, costing £13 per adult, £11 concessions and £9 for children, are available from Lincoln Drill Hall Box Office (Tel: 01522 873 894, www.lincolndrillhall.com)

For more details about Lincoln Castle visit www.lincolncastle.com