Hundreds of young dancers will take to the stage at the Gaiety Theatre next weekend for a spectacular winter performance.
Featuring a myriad of fairy tale characters and a range of set-piece dance performances, students from the Move It! dance school will perform their show ’Move It Into the Woods’, and will feature up to 180 dance students, with the majority of the young performers aged under 18.
Although the show will include Move It’s mature dancers in a specially-choreographed routine, ’Move It Into the Woods’ will make the young dancers the focus of the show, and will feature four 11 and 12 year old actors in the lead roles.
Emma Louise Taylor, 11, plays Red, based on Little Red Riding Hood, Erin Reid, also 11, plays Snow white, Rio Osborn and Yordan Mark appear as Prince Aladdin and Princess Jasmine, and the Little Mermaid, Ariel is played by Katie Halsall, 12.
Their characters all come into contact with the popular Christmas bad-guy, the Grinch, who breaks into each fairy tale realm and steals something personal and valuable to each character.
Kate Caine, who began the Move It dance school in 2011, said that they came up with the story themselves, and that they wanted to create a story that gave all the cast members a chance to appear.
’It is a really happy, feel-good show that we are putting on,’ said Kate.
’It is a very young cast, and these children are very young to be playing the lead roles, but they have all been amazing. They have all stepped up to the mark, never missed rehearsals and they have really concentrated hard on their roles.
’I am a big fan of everyone getting their moment in the front of the show, and not just the senior dancers,’ she said.
’I trust that they can do it, but there are little ones there who also really want to have a go at a top role, and they shouldn’t have to wait until they are 16 or 17 to get to the front, have the chance and take the opportunities that we entrust to the older ones. And the young stars are loving it! They are so confident.’
The groups of dancers, have worked hard on a wide range of dance styles and techniques, from routines that feature hip-hopping dwarves with Snow White, woodland creatures performing musical theatre, cheer dancing, stunts, free-style, lyrical, point and ballet and tap dancing.
But the over-all aim is to produce a show that will feature a festive theme, have elements of pantomime and audience participation, and be suitable for all the family.
Kate said that encouraging young talent is one of the driving ideas behind her dance school.
’That’s what we hope that Move It has brought out in them. We want to create a safe zone for them where they know they are safe, they know they are looked after, and they are good, can practise and rehearse.
’This play is a step into the unknown for a dance school, and a big step for us,’ she said.
’We have done other dance productions before, which are great to do, but this time we have tried to go the next step and make it a proper production, with a storyline and actual dialogue that the kids can get involved with.
’But that is what Move It! Dance school is all about. Let’s do something different.’
’Move it Into The Woods’ opens on Friday, November 30, at 7.30pm, and is also on Saturday, December 1, also at 7.30pm, with a Saturday matinee show at 2.30pm.
Tickets are £13.26, with £10.20 for seniors and under 16s, available from villagaiety.com
Move It Into the Woods is backed by the long-time arts sponsors SMP Partners.
by Mike Wade
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