The O Dance Festival is one of those little gems that graces the Regent stage every year and the 025 version is now on its run with the theme of Iconic.
A showcase for the youthful performing arts talent of Staffordshire, Cheshire and the North West, it seems to improve year on year and allows the young participants to show the enjoyment that creating a routine for the stage can bring not only to themselves but also to those who come to support and watch them.
Although the routines change on a nightly basis to allow a wide range of participants to strut their stuff, there are constants. The Potteries’ own Caroline Sherratt is an enthusiastic host and the Regent Academy is the Resident Dance Group opening both Acts of the show. The opening number is an ebullient run-through of Tina Turner’s Greatest Hits while after the interval they perform a hauntingly beautiful routine to the tune of Elton John’s Tiny Dancer.
On Press Night the first performance was by the Minnie Skerrett School of Dancing and the choreographers produced a routine to portray the glitzy world of Barbie. Apart from looking pretty in pink, the performers produced a slick routine that was full of fun and – with the School teaching students from the age of 2 – it was good to see that the younger members of the troupe were given their time in the spotlight.
Danielle McNally choreographed the routine from Belgrave St Bartholomew’s Academy and it was charming to see the youngsters hard work in after school sessions paying off as there was so much joy conveyed to the audience as they performed. Good to hear that the dancers contributed their own ideas to the performance.
Stagecoach Uttoxeter were next to bring their infectious enjoyment to the stage. Chloe-Mae McDonald and Lucy Palmer put together a Dance Odyssey that brought a combination of fun, action and fantasy. Highly entertaining and it was so good to see a good number of young men in the cast.
The First Act was brought to a close by Kidsgrove Care Solutions. “The A Team” have many challenges but not being dealt a good hand is no is no barrier to being able to explore the wonderful world of performing arts. Their enthusiasm and sheer pleasure to be performing was lapped up by the audience. Hats off to Layla Rowley and her team for bringing this to us. The standing ovation was truly deserved.
The Second Act contained two pieces that were more provocative. Ruskin Community High School Performance Group produced “ Strike A Pose” that took the audience back to the land of Vogue in the 1970’s. Miss Allen was the choreographer and she produced a performance that was full of style and synchronicity.
The other routine was by the Homegrown Youth Dance Company. Choreographer Naomi Johnson led the audience inside the mind of Stanley Kubrick. The group took us to a creepy place that was full of menace. The thoughtful ideas of the piece were exquisitely brought to life by a talented group of dancers.
In complete contrast St John Fisher Catholic College brought an effervescent and fun-filled hymn of praise to the icons who have graced the Glastonbury Stage. With music from the likes of Beyonce and Coldplay it would be difficult to fail to amuse and entertain. Make no doubt, the participants took hold of the music and brought joy and movement to the stage and did Choreographer Becky Jones proud.
The show was closed by Dance Fusion Community Dance School Limited and their act “Turn of the Millennium”. Choreographer Claire Ashley promised that there would be a wide range of dancing styles in the routine and she delivered in spades. Some lovely costumes and it was a joy to see the transformation into the slow movement to Unbreak My Heart that provided a beautiful contrast to the full-on action that surrounded it. A top-class finale to a top-class show.
Many in the audience had a vested interest that the acts would be enjoyed and received enthusiastically. However, I always find these shows a joy to attend and love to see the audience reaping the rewards of the support that they have given. For many performers, it was their first time on stage and I do hope that they will take this experience forward. The joy that they gave put a spring in the step and a smile on the face as the audience members made their way home. Congratulations and roll on 026.
There are a different set of performers every night for a production that runs until February 12th. The running time is approximately 2 hours including interval. For ticket information contact atgtickets.com/stoke