Entertainment
Harry Potter fans get wand training beneath dazzling installation in London’s Leicester Square
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Young Harry Potter fans had a spellbinding day in London’s Leicester Square as they got a wand training class from the franchise’s wand choreographer.
Now why didn’t we pick up that skill during lockdown?
Paul Harris, the wand choreographer on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, gave the children of Park View School a lesson in magic beneath an installation of 15ft tall wands in Leicester Square.
The schoolkids were taught some of the key movements from the choreography of duelling with wands and the ‘lannguage’ of wands, all while wearing their Hogwarts cloaks.
Ajwa Gul, 11, from Park View School said: ‘It was really fun and plus we learnt new skills and we learnt the moves how Harry Potter fought, and we all really enjoyed it.’
Amelia Wraczewska, also 11 added: ‘My favourite thing was how we learnt the wand positioning and the movements. I really enjoyed how we got this experience as this doesn’t happen everywhere!’
Paul Harris led the workshop (Picture: Joe Pepler/PinPep)
Local children were taught the language of wands (Picture: Joe Pepler/PinPep)
The class was held to launch the installation, which marks the 20th anniversary of the release of the movie Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and its premiere in Leicester Square.
Nine 15ft tall wands representing key characters from the original Potter franchise and the spin-off Fantastic Beasts films from an 18 meter walkway, with the wands – replicas of those belonging to characters like Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger – set to be illuminated between 6pm and 8.35pm every evening from today until 25th October.
There will also be light shows every half hour between this time set to the music from the films on scheduled days.
Also around Leicester Square are a number of bronze statues, including Harry Potter on his broomstick.
The workshop was held to launch the 20th anniversary celebrations (Picture: Joe Pepler/PinPep)
Nine wands will be illuminated (Picture: PinPep)
Polly Cochrane, Country Manager UK & Ireland at Warner Bros., said: ‘It is so exciting to have the Wizarding World Wands brought back to London and we are thrilled to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone being released in UK cinemas.”
‘It is an honour to have the Wands displayed in Leicester Square, considering its legacy of hosting premieres for the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films over two decades, and we hope the fans will love and enjoy the light shows as much as we do.’
The wands will later go on a tour of the UK to destinations including Hull, Stoke, Reading and Birmingham from March next year, leading up to the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore on April 8, 2022.
The franchise turns 20 this year (Picture: Joe Pepler/PinPep)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’s anniversary will be celebrated throughout autumn, with the movie returning for special screenings across the UK and Ireland from October 29, and a tour of the Platform 9 ¾ Trolley which will be installed at train stations in Edinburgh, Birmingham, Cardiff and Belfast.
The movie, based on the first Harry Potter book from JK Rowling, introduces us to Harry, a young boy who is informed he is a wizard whose parents were killed by a dark wizard named Lord Voldemort, and is whisked off to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
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The film made stars out of young actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, and made $974million (£715m) in its initial run.
The Chris Columbus-directed film led to seven sequels, ending with The Deathly Hallows Part 2 10 years later, with two Fantastic Beasts spin-offs released and three more on the slate.
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