Thanks to Nat for this latest news from Ryde Academy. Ed
In recent years, we have been incredibly successful competing in Rock Challenge and we are keen to expand our successful dance department.
In September, Miss Seaton created our first ever dance competition team with the hope of exposing some of the Academy’s best dancers to a wider range of performance opportunities.
Dance Woking’s Dance Festival
Specialising in contemporary dance, the team rehearse twice a week to perfect the company’s repertoire and experiment with new skills, but in October we auditioned for our first performance opportunity.
We soon found out that the team had been selected to perform in their first showcase at the Rhoda McGaw Theatre as part of Dance Woking’s Dance Festival on the 22nd November.
Amongst good company
On the morning of the show we received the line-up for the show and soon realised how exciting it was for us to be chosen. Before us was Hertfordshire’s County Youth Dance Company and after ,the London Contemporary Dance School/The Place’s CAT (Centre of Advanced Training) company.
This confirmed to us all that our team’s challenging choreography had paid off if we were to be sharing the stage with dancers of this calibre and student’s were keen to showcase their routine. The students had performed in assemblies throughout the week, so they felt confident and prepared. This was evident in both the technical rehearsal and the photoshoot, as the dancers were nothing but professional.
Click on the image to see larger version
‘War and Widows’
The choreography entitled ‘War and Widows’ was a tribute to families who have lost loved ones during times of conflict and explored the stages of grief people go through. The routine requires maturity, strength and precision so students were feeling the pressure as they were called to the stage. When it was our turn to perform, the girls danced beautifully and the emotional execution was outstanding, moving some to tears.
The whole day was a great experience and has helped us prepare for our next project – a live audition at Ballet Rambert for the National Youth Dance Festival.
Our five minute piece now needs to be developed into a 15 minute piece that will showcase professional level choreography.
Dancers included: Courtney Daly, Zuzie Katonova, Jenny Elliot, Courtney Medd, Amelia Dovey, Amber Gardiner, Holly Smith, Holly Johnstone, Lucy Baker, Ella Mountford, Kate Wilkinson, Ruth Gale, Chloe Weeks, Willow Jones and Sade Tims
Image: © With kind permission of www.PhotoViva.co.uk
