This annual event has grown exponentially over the years, and now this event takes place over four evenings. Further more, rather than being simply dance companies from Salford, as was the original remit years' ago, it has now broadened its boundaries to include most of the North West! The format still remains the same however; with the use of a singing compere and accommodating dancers of all ages, abilities and types of dancing school. Primary School after school clubs to professional training academies to charities working with both physically and mentally disabled adults. No-one is left out and all are welcomed and supported equally. Obviously with so many groups and dances happening across the three out of the four evenings I was able to come along to, it would be impossible for me to write about all the groups; furthermore I am not going to critique them in any professional capacity, that would be most unfair and not what this event is all about. However, I can tell you my own criteria. First and foremost I am looking for a whole presentation - a piece of choreography which is also a stand-alone piece of theatre. Lighting, SFX, set (if used), costumes, make-up and chosen music all cohere and compliment each other, and thought has gone into the overall 'look' and 'feel' of the piece, especially if there is a narrative drive within it. The choreography should be exciting and varied, with good use of space, levels, and techniques / moves, but should always be within the comfort zone of the dancers being tasked in performing them. And finally, I watch the dancers' faces to see if they are acting or just simply dancing. I am a Musical Theatre trained actor and theatre director and so perhaps this also might hold a slight bias in my affections and affiliations.
MONDAY: DAY 1 saw 14 groups take to the stage, some doing so for the first time. I enjoyed the Baven School's performances this evening. These were something a little bit different for me, since the school is obviously for the Chinese living amongst us, for them to immerse themselves in and learn about their own culture through dance. These very young girls (all preteens) took us through three short dances, which all had elements of Chinese traditional dance styles but updated and modernised for them to be more easily accessible for today's youngsters. Lovely to watch. I also enjoyed the routine from the Co-Op Academy in Walkden. This saw 7 teenage girls go through a range of dance styles and worked excellently together. It was obvious they had danced together many times, as they were able to anticipate each others' moves and work as a true ensemble.
However, there were four groups this evening who for me went that little bit beyond, thought about a holistic presentation, and produced something that was both theatrical and proficient. These were: 1) The Allegiant Dance Company: a small group of teenagers performing a contemporary dance with great skill. Dressed al in white futuristic garb with make-up highlighting their veins along their arms and almost zombie-like face make-up, they could indeed have been the undead as their silent screams and jagged movements illustrated. 2) Theatreworks, Bury. Here we were given pure Musical Theatre and I loved it. A large group of youngsters not only danced, but acted and sang their way through 'Take Me To Heaven' from 'Sister Act'. It was exciting, clever, with good harmonies, and showcased this groups' cumulative talents excellently. Of course the sparkly nuns' costumes helped, but this was my favourite of the whole evening, just lovely! 3) The Joanne Farnell School Of Dance performed excerpts from their upcoming end-of-year show, 'Everything Old Is New Again'; and here we saw a large group of teenage girls perform three varied dances. The first was a proper can-can, choreographed and danced with the correct steps and routine for this dance, and was done with elan. The other two, with costume changes throughout, were contemporary dances with excellent choreography with good use of the stage's space and good pictures. Nice coordination and togetherness throughout. In between these were saw a young boy perform a solo contemporary ballet, and two young girls perform a lovely contemporary duet. All were very talented and a joy to watch. 4) The final dancers of the evening came from Holy Cross College, and here we saw a bright and colourful, and extremely upbeat routine titles, 'The Synergy Of Motion'. This commercial routine combined full company with smaller ensembles, duets and solos seamlessly and the use of space and creative ideas within the piece were very impressive. A super end to the showcase.
TUESDAY: DAY 2 was no less exciting, and on this occasion I enjoyed the FD Academy Of Irish Dance, as they, like the Chinese dancers of the day before, took us through some lovely Irish traditional and traditional-inspired routines. It was very 'Lord Of The Dance' and was lovely. Whilst the Abigail Bibby School of Dance gave us a cheerleading experience with 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody', The Joanne Farnell School Of Dance showed us a few more items from their forthcoming showcase with a slice of classical ballet and including an excellently danced solo contemporary routine; and St. Andrews Primary School, Boothstown started the second act of with a lively 'Girls, Girls, Girls' in leopard print costumes. Energetic and fun, and nicely executed.
However, two groups this evening were my favourites. First of these was the Fun Key Dance Academy's Invincible Team with their Beyonce -inspired mash-up of commercial / hip hop dance; whilst the second act gave us St Phillip's Primary School's street dance 'Commander', with a young but perfectly-timed group of youngsters whose drill and precision as well as coordination and energy impressed greatly.
WEDNESDAY: DAY 3 brought more groups and more energy to the Lowry Theatre. Three groups this evening deserve special mention. These were St Mark's Primary (both groups) 28 youngsters in the first group with colourful t-shirts street dancing, whilst the second group made a very good effort of their Michael Jackson homage. Whilst the first half ended with once again some more excerpts from the Joanne Farnell School of Dance's showcase. There were five sections to this in all, starting with an Alice In Wonderland section, which segued nicely into a jazz dance solo from a talented teenage girl, which turned into a full company jazz routine before another solo teenage girl performed a beautifully executed contemporary solo, and then they finished with an full ensemble contemporary dance.
Three groups caught my attention this evening however as my favourites of the night. The evening opened with three routines from The Danceworks in Eccles. 'Time After Time' - a preteens contemporary ballet routine - was followed by a duet of two young girls dancing beautifully together, their timing was absolutely spot on. This was then followed with a jazzy upbeat routine for the preteens again using Abba's 'Voulez-Vous'. The second group to perform this evening was the Rachel Ann Walker School of Dance giving us their choreography for a few of the songs in the musical, 'A Chorus Line'. A lot of girls to fit on the stage, but some clever choreography and good spatial awareness made this possible. Nicely done. We then had to wait until the final act of the evening for the funky hip-hop choreography of the teenage girls from the Fred Longworth High School, as they danced with real attitude, poise and precision.
Finally, allow me to mention all the other groups who I have not written about. They are al deserving of praise and approbation. These events are not about being best, and it is not a competition, rather a celebration of dance and creativity. Working together and supporting each other is most definitely the order of the day, and for all involved their time at the Lowry Theatre will be a wonderful learning curve and experience for them. It is wonderful and inspiring to see such energy, dedication and commitment from so many youngster and youths, and rue the fact that opportunities such as this were not available to me when I was young... they don't know how lucky they are! Congratulations!
Reviewer - Alastair Zyggu
on - 18.6.25
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