A local dance school is to hold a grand dance performance on the island’s biggest stage, to help mark its fifth anniversary this weekend.
The Unity Dance school is to host its gala show ‘A West End Spectacular’ at the Gaiety Theatre over two nights, on Friday, 8, and Saturday, 9, April, from 7.30pm, with a matinee show at 2.30pm on Saturday afternoon.
More than 88 children and adult dancers will take part in the shows, with many of them performing several times throughout the show.
The show will pay tribute to the best West End musicals, whilst showcasing the abilities and variation of dance styles which the school teaches, including Hip Hop routines, taken from the from the musical ‘Hamilton’, high-energy, cheerleading formation dances from High School Musical, contemporary dance from shows such as ‘Wicked’, through to classic tap dancing, taken from ‘Mary Poppins’.
The school is run by teacher and choreographer Linzi Brown, who said that the performance is the biggest show that her students have undertaken together, and it may be the only time that the school will perform on the Gaiety stage.
‘Normally we hold our annual concerts at the Studio Theatre and Ballakermeen High School, which is a lot smaller and far less intimidating,’ said Linzi.
‘Going on stage at the Gaiety is a huge deal for us, and it has been quite stressful to get to this point, as everything has been put together by myself, with the help of some of the parents of the school’s students.
‘But I think its worth it for the experience the kids, especially the younger children will get out of it.
‘This will be one of the first times that some of the kids will have even set foot in the theatre, never mind been on stage, and there are also some students with us who have auditioned for shows but never quite made it, so I really want to get them up there and let them show how talented and good they are.
‘This is a showcase for them just as much as it is for the school.’
Linzi started the Douglas-based dance school five years ago and has enjoyed a great deal of success in a reasonably short time.
Her students regularly travel to perform in the Cheerdance UK competition, Blackpool, and have just returned from their latest competition, winning in six classes as well as a number of runners-up spots.
Tickets for the Unity Dance School’s ‘West End Spectacular’ start from £18 for adults, with seniors and under 16s £15, available from the Welcome Centre and the Villa gaiety Box Office, on 600555, and from villagaiety.com