I always truly enjoy myself when covering amateur dance, especially youths. These are our future; and it is heartwarming to know that with so many private schools and academies out there, the future of live theatre is not in doubt. Nuturing young talent is something I have been doing more or less all my adult life in one capacity or another; and although I am no longer teaching, I still get a huge kick out of seeing the next generation glorying in entertaining us with what they have learned.
This afternoon it was the turn of Ambitions Dance School from Lymm, strutting their stuffs on the Garrick Playhouse stage in Altrincham.
As with every showcase of this kind, it is almost impossible to keep up with the number of dances, what they are, the style, the age and ability of the dancers in each etc... and this afternoon's programme only helped so far, so please forgive me if my convoluted explanations which will undoubtedly follow are not particularly coherent! One thing that was abundantly apparent throughout the showcase however was the professionalism, and drilling of the dancers - undoubtedly from a backstage army - to make the transitions between dances swift and smooth, and once on stage, all the performers were totally committed and accomplished.
The school currently offers classes to both children and adults in tap, classical ballet, contemporary ballet, street dance, jazz, etc, and all these styles were represented this afternoon by their large student body. The whole afternoon was indeed enjoyable, and the dedication and skill shown was undeniable; however, if you will allow me to share my own personal favourites of a showcase of some 33 individual dances! These were:
From the first half there weren't as many, the school did seem to live by the maxim of saving the best 'til last; however in the first half I enjoyed, 'This Wizarding World' , a modrn ballet interpretation of Hogwarts complete with magic wands; 'Love Is A Compass', where four older girls showed co-ordination in a contemporary dance piece; and my favourite of the first half, 'Hit The Road Jack', which was nicely executed by all. The second act showcased the talents of the adult dancers and they quickly became not just mine but an audience favourite as they showed precision, skill, and panache in jazz, ballet and tap; but from the younger generation, my favourites were, 'It's Time To Dance', where classical ballet met modern whilst wearing pointe shoes - truly enjoyable (and a little bit hair-raising!); 'Bang Bang' where a group of older girls did a sxities style tap routine wearing black and white minidresses and pink wigs!; 'Love On Top', which saw a group of younger dancers jazz it up with finesse; 'Survivor', showcasing a group of again older girls in a modern jazz choreography, which impressed not only due to the technical ability, but it was the only dance the whole afternoon where there was a clear story being told (the true meaning of ballet) - most interesting. However, my favourite piece of the showcase was, without doubt, 'Diamonds'. Here everything came together to create the most professional looking of all the dances this afternoon - the morphsuit-style costumes, the hand-held glowlights, the lighting, the imaginative choreography, the use of space, and of course the co-ordination and ensemble work of the dancers themselves. [I hope I have the titles of these dances correct...!]
Actually, there were two things which impressed me throughout the whole showcase; and these were the fact that every routine had been given a strong and interesting picture ending; and that much thought and importance had been placed on the lighting and effects. The school utilised the Garrick's lighting capacity to the max, with specials aplenty and a stunning star curtain backdrop. The lighting was not only creative, but helped enormously in making the right atmosphere and ameliorating the presentation.
Well done to all involved!
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 1.5.22
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 1.5.22
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