Much Ado About Something

I doubt if Shakespeare would have recognised this activity - this is the Miramar Belly Dancers, and as you can see from the signage at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in the background, they are dancing to celebrate his 450th birthday.

The celebrations started on Wednesday evening (the 23rd is thought to be Shakespeare's actual birthday) with a fantastic firework display on the roof of the theatre.

After a bit of a slow start today (it was chilly after all), the party soon got underway, and there was something going on all around Stratford all day. There were belly dancers, Irish dancers, Morris Dancers, country dancers and Wayfarers dance. There was Suruj Bhangra music, classical music, band music, Samba music and Musyck Anon. Also popular was a 20 foot high Godiva puppet. It was a fabulous street party, and the place was full of happy faces.

"Normal" dress seemed almost not quite the done thing, and people were wandering around in Elizabethan costume or as fairies or "Thatch Hags" - you name it, and anything went.

Shakespeare may have turned in his grave, but if he did it was only because he was rolling over to get a better look - probably at the belly dancers.