Last weekend, 25 enthusiastic young Dance Stables students set out to see ‘Beats on Pointe’ by Masters of Choreography at the Peacock Theatre, on their final location show date, Saturday 24th February 2018. Most of our DS kids had already had classes that day, but it did nothing to subdue the excitement of seeing some professional live dance on stage.
As we arrive at the theatre, there’s a buzz of anticipation from many more young dancers crowded at the entrance, waiting for the doors to open. It’s lovely to see so many young people making the most of the amazing dance here to be seen in London’s theatres.
We settle into our seats and the performance begins. The music blasts out with uptempo, foot-stomping beats and the dancers immediately have the audience clapping along.
‘Beats on Pointe’ focuses on two opposing dance styles; Ballet and Street Dance which the skilled dancers manage to go showcase using a mashup of the two styles. Their expression of movement is on pointe - pardon the pun - and from the first step, they bring their enjoyment and passion for dance to the stage.The routines require non-stop energy and they include everything from Hip Hop, to Beatboxing, Pointe work, singing, even Ballet to Beyonce (not something many dance shows can boast!).
By the interval, the Dance Stables students are trying out some of the steps in the aisles. For the teachers, it’s great seeing them exposed to such a variety of different dance styles and we love hearing them exclaim ‘we do that move in class!’. Providing the chance to see where the hours of classes can lead is an undeniably important part of learning to dance and so the team were very pleased to be able to make this happen.
The lights go down again and we are treated to another half of exhilarating music and dance with some hilarious comedic inputs. If you ever wanted to see a Grandma twerk, this is the show for you! The stamina of the dancers is incredible as they move from one number to the next without seeming to tire in the slightest.
By the end of the show, we’re exhausted just watching them. But we use the last of our energy to join the rest of the audience in a standing ovation. Children and adults alike are cheering at the top of their voices as we clap their well-deserved bows.
But don’t just take our word for it, here’s what some of the Dance Stables students had to say:
‘If I close my eyes, I can see all the dances all over again - from start to finish! So I've going to keep my eyes closed for a while!’ - DS Mini dancer
‘We danced all through the interval! It was so exciting to watch and we can't wait to get back to class’ - DS Junior dancer
'I'm going to practise and see if I can do that may fouette turns! They just kept spinning!' - DS Junior dancer
'The dancers really were ON POINTE!' - DS mum
We agree that it’s impossible not to leave feeling inspired and excited after watching ‘Beats on Pointe’, their energy and feel-good music have us boogying all the way home.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank our DS Parents for joining us at the Theatre, and for their continued support to help us inspire their children in dance.
We love our #DanceStablesFamily :)
Where to next for our Dance Stables Summer trip?