That most certainly was entertainment. A gala of dance at Thornden Hall on Sunday evening 26th July.
The students of Parkewood School of Dance performed 32 dances for us. Twenty of them were choreographed by Lucy Creighton whose mother, Liz Creighton, founded the school of dance many years ago. Other choreographers were Hannah Ross, Tjasa Zibert, Ellie Hanson, Lewis Tribbeck, Jennifer Kennett and Lynne Wiltshire ably supported by pianist Samantha Carrasco. The troupe was of 40 or so dancers, two of them were former students who were down from university, another two were the very young children of the choreographers.
Dances and Dancers Galore
The dances varied from solos to the whole troupe of 40 or so dancers. They varied in mood from exuberant joy to pathos and sadness. There were old favourites like ‘Singing in the Rain’ a compilation from ‘Les Miserables’ and ‘The Lion King’. I most enjoyed ‘Root Beer Rag’, Billy Joel’s modern re-visitation to the era of ragtime.
Support for Charity
The audience responded warmly, there were about 300 of them for this performance. All the proceeds from ticket sales go to Sophie’s Appeal, a charity providing for the welfare of children with cancer and their families. Sophie’s fund also supports research into Wilm’s disease, a rare form of kidney cancer affecting young people. In a previous year they raised over £6000 for the Cardiac Unit.
Stage Presence
The dancers were all near perfect and maintained a strong stage presence. Some of them are truly gifted with their sense of rhythm, line and form. At one point the dancers were tested by a fault in the audio when the music stopped mid-number. They all stopped together, returned to a starting posture and waited for the fault to be corrected. In the event we had the interval early and they performed the dance again afterwards.
Pleasure and Learning
It is a great pleasure to see young people performing their best. They have learned such a lot that is not available in a school classroom. They have developed discipline, dedication and close teamwork. They have listened carefully to many types of music and enhanced their appreciation of rhythm and physical control.
Big thanks to all of the dancers and others for providing a pleasant evening.
Parkewood School of Dance
Fleming Park Leisure Centre
Passfield Avenue
Eastleigh
SO50 9NL
Contact Miss Lynne Wiltshire – 023 8073 9355
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