This year’s annual Senior School Dance Show entitled, ‘In Motion’ was a huge success! Dancers and backstage team alike, I feel so proud of every student for working so hard to deliver such a memorable performance. The 2023 Claremont Dance team have been such a fantastic group to work with and what a joy it was to see their work come to fruition on stage!
The show enabled all year groups to participate, and to really boost all students’ confidence as performers. For some, this was their first formal performance on the Claremont dance floor, for others an opportunity to share their dance journey so far. And for our Year 13 performers it was their swansong (and I wish them the very best of luck on their new adventures). What an absolute joy it was to also work with Year 1 students who rehearsed so hard at the senior school dance studio to prepare for this, their first ever dance performance. They certainly performed did themselves proud and the audience loved them!
I enjoyed choreographing a cross curricular dance number in collaboration with the art department which involved students designing their own costumes for the dance. The audience watched examination pieces with students demonstrating high degrees of technical ability, there were impressive self choreographed numbers and we closed the show with a high octane performance of the musical number ‘Greased Lightnin’, accompanied by Claremont’s very own (and fabulous) concert band. What a wonderful experience! Enjoy viewing the full photo gallery!
Being involved in the Dance Show at Claremont for the last two years, has been a real eye opener for me in terms of process and outcome. This was a well run production, and it was really interesting to see how the dancers, costumes, staging and lighting all came together to produce such a diverse array of dance numbers. To be able to perform my own work in such a professional environment enabled me to develop important skills, such as accepting that things don’t always go to plan, how to manage a group of people each week and make good, creative decisions together. Lucy B – Year 12
My dance teacher is an inspiration, she really helped me in the lead up to the performance, giving me lots of opportunities to improve my dance. Amelia S – Year 10
Coming back to perform in the dance show as a former Claremont student was an incredible experience. Seeing the performing arts department continue to grow and the sense of community within was lovely; it has made me realise that the sky’s the limit for Claremont! I thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to watch the dancers I danced alongside last year perform again, as well as the new dancers. I was very impressed by them all.I am currently studying Chemical engineering at the University of Sheffield but my dance studies at Claremont provided me with many transferable skills which have supported my current studies. Balancing dance with my academic studies taught me about time management, commitment and most importantly, it allowed me to continue to do what I love. Studying BTEC Dance gave me the opportunity to develop my teamwork and leadership skills which will be very beneficial in my future career within the field of engineering. I have already had the opportunity to apply these skills during design projects at university where I have worked in multidisciplinary teams. I would like to thank Mrs Eckoff for inviting me back to dance and for everything she has taught me over the years. Alumna Sofia M
