On the 6th March 9 pupils from Limavady High School and St. Mary’s got the opportunity to visit one of the biggest Dance exhibits in the UK. Under the supervision of Miss McLaughlin and Miss Hunt we arrived at Earls Court and walked to our hotel, got quickly settled into our rooms and set off for food before a packed day of dancing.
The brisk walk to the Olympia was a good warm-up for everyone, as we were all very excited about the day. Once inside we got a programme of events, Miss McLaughlin and Miss Hunt gave everyone a time to look around the many stalls of dance suppliers, colleges, photographers, make-up and costume professionals. There were two stages, one located in the middle of the auditorium called the freestyle stage, the other was the main stage which all the professional performances were performed. Surrounding all of the above were 12 studios, for all the classes. The studios were all equipped with Harlequin floors, (the best floors for dance and similar to the one we have just got for school), and they were open so it was possible to watch the class if all the places were booked up.
Miss McLaughlin was really impressed at the Contemporary performances on the main stage, especially the performance by Bird College to Leona Lewis’s version of ‘Run’. Quotes from Miss McLaughlin’s dance girls include, “Wow! this has really opened my eyes to contemporary dance” and “Everyone is so amazing we have to really, really practise to get good!”
It was really interesting to see a lot of boys dancing and not just street dancing. Boys were included in all the professional work, including ballet, contemporary and body bopping. We were very excited to watch a performance from the world champion body bopper. As well as watching dance on the first day a number of pupils attended classes in contemporary, street and hip hop. These classes were taught by professionals in their chosen style of dance and provided the pupils with a great opportunity to learn with students from all over the UK.
Tired and excited we walked back to the hotel for some food and loads of well earned rest.
Day Two started with breakfast in a café near Earls Court tube station. We boarded the tube ready to explore the sights of London. Our first stop was Buckingham palace to see the Queen. We had a lovely walk through Hyde Park and when we got to Buckingham Palace we were very excited to observe the changing of the Guard. After lots of photos we walked to Big Ben and the houses of Parliament. Other sights included The Thames, The London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Leicester Square, Hamley’s, Piccadilly Circus and we ended up in shopping heaven Oxford street.
With all the shopping bought we went back to Earl’s Court where we chose an Italian restaurant for our dinner. Then it was back to the hotel for Miss Hunt’s London Trip challenge. Miss Hunt got the girls into two teams and they had to make up a dance plus a rap about London. There was a prize for the winner and all the girls were very creative and entertaining.
Day three it was back to the ‘Move it’ exhibition for more dance. The girls were all very focussed on their second day at the exhibition. The previous night we had made lists of what we wanted to see and do. Miss Hunt wanted to take some girls to the Irish dancing workshop while others went to a contemporary workshop and Spanish dancing workshop. The more popular classes were booked up but we went and watched from outside the class. The main stage had a lot of amazing performances; one that stood out was a performance from the Stella Mann College. It was also good to see a demonstration from the British Cheerleading Association. One of the choreographers from the TV show ‘Dancing for Comic Relief’ taught the crowd a dance from the show.
On returning home Miss McLaughlin has noticed that her students have increased in confidence and focus in their dance lessons. This trip was an amazing experience for all and it has definitely increased the appetite and the ability within the year 11 GCSE Dance class.
