Students at Stoke Gifford School of Dance have performed their latest show ‘A Night at the Movies’ to an audience of family and friends.
The event, which took place at The Olympus Theatre, SGS WISE Campus, Stoke Gifford, on Saturday 26th March 2022, was a huge success. It was an extra special show this time after two years spent dancing in living rooms and kitchens on Zoom, followed by a tentative return to the studio for socially distanced lessons. The cast, which consisted of 60 dancers aged between 3 and 17 years old, showcased their wonderful talents in ballet, modern, tap, contemporary and singing.
Eve Brewer, principal of the school, described the huge effort that is needed to put together a show on this scale:
“The preparation for the show starts many months before and includes music editing, choreography, organising costumes and props, designing the programme and writing health & safety protocols and risk assessments. Plus 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!”
The performance was based on music from the movies and included pieces from classics such as ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Footloose’ as well as newer favourites from ‘Frozen’, ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘Dear Evan Hansen’. With dances ranging from pre-school and reception ballet all the way up to advanced tap and modern, there was plenty of variety for the audience to delight in.
Madelynne, 8, who performed ballet, tap and modern in the show, said:
“I loved being a part of the show and it was great to be back on stage after dancing at home for so long! We all worked really hard learning and practising the dances and I felt very proud to show my family the routines. I also loved getting dressed up in the sparkly costumes!”
With the event behind them, the dancers and teachers were looking forward to a break over Easter to refresh themselves ready for a busy term of exams in the summer!
Related link: Stoke Gifford School of Dance on Facebook
This article originally appeared in the May 2022 issue of the Stoke Gifford Journal magazine (on pages 20 & 21).
