Contemporary dance routines, stories portrayed through graceful sequences and classical ballet, performed with a distinctly modern twist will all feature in an up-coming concert next weekend.

The Academy of Dance - Isle of Man will host its ’Evening of Dance’ at the Gaiety Theatre on Friday, July 2 and Saturday, July 3, at 7.30pm on both nights.

The concert is the bi-annual show produced by the dance school and will feature a series of beautifully-crafted and well-choreographed dance routines, performed by the young dance students of the academy and featuring a wide variety of styles and genres.

Among the routines on show will be an imaginative, theatrical sequence, entitled ’Six’, which tells the story of the wives of Henry VIII, and ’The Waiting Room’ which explores the emotions of being in a hospital waiting room.

Both these pieces have been choreographed by new Academy teacher Kayleigh Booth, who replaced the retiring instructor Pippa Salter, who also founded the academy with fellow dance instructor Mari-Lousie Britz.

Ballet dancing features heavily in the programme and the programme will feature classical balletic routines, such as ’Flower Festival in Genzano’, along with a new and inventive take on the ’Nutcracker, which has been set to musical style reminiscent of Duke Ellington, and an energetic ballet set in a French Cafe, complete with can-can girls.

Some of the younger members of the academy will perform a balletic routine based on the Tales of Beatrix Potter.

The ballet routines have been choreographed by Mari-Lousie, along with fellow ballet instructors Laura Davies, Sarah Smith and Warren Human.

Mari said that the preparations for the show have been hampered by the recent Covid lockdowns, with the concert having to be moved from the original date in March, but her students have remained focused throughout, providing the organisers with the inspiration to continue with the show.

’The past year has certainly been challenging in various ways,’ said Mari.

’For us it was hard to keep up the continuity of the training we offer the students, and it was hard for everybody to stay motivated during lock-down.

’Even at the time of booking the show we still weren’t sure what was going to happen with regards to Covid restrictions, but after all the online time, and exam syllabus work put in by the students, we just felt that everybody needs this, and then we took the plunge and went ahead with it.

’We have pulled this off in 10 weeks, and I have to say that I feel the only reason this was actually possible was because the students were all so desperate to channel their energy and express themselves through dance, after being isolated for such long periods during the past year.

’It has been fabulous to see how everybody appreciates what they have again.’

The academy has been running at the Ballasalla Church Hall for more than 12 years now and has enjoyed a remarkable record in seeing many of its students graduate to top-level UK-based dance schools and this year alone has seen three dance students head across the water, despite the Covid interruptions.

’William Cummins prepared for and auditioned online, during lock-down, and was accepted onto the Central Ballet School’s associate programme,’ said Mari

’Maeve Wilson went through the same process and was offered a place at Tring Park from September of this year.

’We also had the fabulous news that one of our old students who went to LIPA last year, Josh Morrison, has now been offered a place at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary dance.’

l Tickets for the ’Evening of Dance’ are £18.50 and are available from the Welcome Centre and the Villa Gaiety box office, on 600555, and online from villagaiety.com