The Stoke Gifford School of Dance have performed their Christmas show ‘Beyond the Rainbow’ to an audience of family and friends.
The show, which took place at King’s Oak Academy, Kingswood on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th December, was a huge success. The cast, which consisted of 47 girls aged between 3 and 18 years old, showcased their wonderful talents in ballet, modern and tap.
Eve Brewer, principal of the school, explained what preparation is needed to put together a show of this magnitude:
“We have been working on the show since the start of term in September. The preparation includes music editing, choreography, organising costumes, designing the tickets and programme, and rallying up the support of parents and friends for ticket sales and to help with the smooth running of the show, and all that before we even start teaching the dances to the children! In the final week leading up to the show, the children are all very excited and we look forward to seeing the result of all their hard work on stage.”
The performance was based on ‘The Wizard of Oz’ with Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Lion and the Tin Man taking centre stage to lead the rest of the cast through 26 different songs and dances that followed the theme of colour, including ‘Purple Rain’, ‘Men in Black’ and ‘Follow the Yellow Brick Road’. With dances ranging from pre-school and reception ballet all the way up to senior tap and modern, there was plenty of variety for the audience to delight in. Lisa Rush, who watched the Sunday performance, described the show as “very enjoyable; it flowed well and the dancers performed beautifully and confidently”.
Talking to me after the show, Eve expressed how happy she was with the weekend’s performances:
“The children should all be very proud of how hard they have worked. Both on and off stage they were wonderful. A great time was had by all”.
It is now time for the dancers and the teachers to have a break and enjoy the Christmas holiday, although I am sure they are all looking forward to seeing where their dancing journey takes them in the new year!
• Classes are held in the Trust Hall, North Road, Stoke Gifford.
Photo: The four main characters in the show (l-r): Yuying, Grace, Ruby and Grace.
Above Main cast; Pre-school and Reception dancers.
This article originally appeared in the January 2018 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal news magazine (on page 32). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to 9,500 homes in Bradley Stoke, Little Stoke and Stoke Lodge. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.
