On July 9, South Park, Oxford, will be alive with music, dancing and sports displays, writes Nicola Lisle.

Performers will come from as far afield as Australia, New Zealand and Argentina — and it’s all part of the Olympic Games celebrations.

More importantly, though, schools and community groups have been given the opportunity to get involved, with hundreds of people taking part in the Tree of Light project, one of only four community celebration projects to be selected for funding by the Legacy Trust UK.

The project links four main hubs in Oxford, Reading, Henley and Windsor, with ten groups of about 30 performers in each location, all of whom will come together for a grand finale at Stonor Park near Henley on July 21.

Running the project are Oxford Inspires, Henley Festival, Windsor Festival and the Oxford-based CIAO (Children’s International Arts Organisation).

The idea for the Tree of Light was the brainchild of Stewart Collins, artistic director of the Henley Festival. “It was an idea he’d had for some time,” explains Karen Draisey, the leader of the Oxford hub and CIAO’s artistic director. “He wanted to put together a spectacular, monumental tree of light, that can be seen from afar, and around which a community dance project could take place in celebration of trees and the natural landscape of our part of the country.

“We’ve been working with community groups in the four hubs since last September, looking at the theme of trees and what trees mean to the sustainability of the planet and to humankind. They have all worked with tree specialists and artists on their own music, drama and dance projects. Now they’re working very hard with choreographers on the dance.

“The dance performance in Oxford will involve about 500 performers. We’re also working with the Blackbird Leys Choir, a couple of school choirs and choirs from Henley and Reading, and an orchestra.”

Choreographed by Charlie Morrissey, with music and lyrics by composer Orlando Gough, the Tree of Light project fits in well with the sustainability ethos of the London 2012 Games.

“It’s a story for our times,” says Karen. “It’s not a quaint, idyllic view of trees — it questions the way we treat our planet and what the threats are. It’s an hour-long piece, and the dance parts of it are episodic, so there’s some interesting explorations of the things trees represent. And the tree is the centrepiece of the story.”

The tree is an 80ft sculpture, which will be lit with the power generated by 50 cyclists, alongside more conventional power sources. “Some will be incorporated into the tree, so they will be quite high up — so we needed adults with a head for heights!” laughs Karen.

“It’s a very unconventional representation of a tree, which I think will surprise people. But when the tree lights up at the end it will look quite stunning.

“I think it’s going to sound fantastic — it’s a wonderful, exuberant, original piece of music, which I think people will find very joyful and dramatic and powerful, and it will be a real treat.”

For more details about Tree of Light, visit http://thetreeoflight.org/page/about/