This in from Ryde Academy. Ed
In recent months we have been developing our dance department to provide even more opportunities for students to participate in the discipline of dance both in the curriculum and as an extracurricular activity.
Since September we have hosted an inter-school workshop with the University of Northampton, participated in a regional youth dance festival and seen the Jasmin Vardimon Company in Brighton.
On 7 January we had our most exciting workshop yet!
No longer just a rising star
Layton Williams visited us to lead workshops for students. Layton played the lead role in Billy Elliot in the West End, recently played Stephen in BBC3’s ‘Bad Education’ and has starred in CBBCs ‘Beautiful people’ and ‘School for Stars’.
He is a member of Matthew Bourne’s ‘New Adventures’ dance company and has recently been touring with ‘Lord of the Flies’ where he has been preparing novice dancers for professional performances nationwide.
Range of workshops for both sexes
Over the course of the day 90 students took part in various workshops.
The first was an all-boys workshop which involved 30 boys from years 7, 8 and 9. Layton gave them a fast-paced and energetic routine to ‘I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor’ by Arctic Monkeys, pushing them in terms of pace and skill.
Considering the boys have only started doing dance as a stand-alone subject since September, they quickly rose to the challenge and were incredibly focused. The year 9 boys in particular were excellent role models for their younger peers as they performed confidently and with enthusiasm.
Waacking and voguing
Then it was the girls turn; 30 girls from key stage three were accompanied by some of our 6th formers as they learned to ‘strut their stuff’ in a sassy and fierce commercial routine.
The dance incorporated current dance styles and techniques such as ‘waacking’ and ‘voguing’ which inspired the girls and gave them a sense of ‘girl power’.
They left the workshop full of energy and had beaming smiles on their faces.
Invitation to use artistic licence
The final routine was for A-level and GCSE students who have expressed interest in pursuing dance further. Layton choreographed a beautifully lyrical routine to Sia’s ‘Chandelier’ which tested the girls’ technique, but particularly focused on their performance skills and theatricality.
He encouraged them to use their ‘artistic licence’ and to perform the routine with their own interpretation and expression.
Buzz on social media
Twitter was alive with excitement that evening with many students uploading their photos and sending Layton messages of thanks.
Layton also uploaded some video footage of the workshops on his twitter page (@laytonwilliams) so you can see some of the routines from the day.
We have more exciting opportunities on the horizon including trips to see Matthew Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands and our competition team will be performing live at Ballet Rambert in February.
Image: © Ryde Academy
