We were very pleased to be able to take part in the latest Dance Showdown in association with Premier Performing Arts that was held at OPEN in Norwich on Wednesday 16th November.
Twenty pupils, a mixture of year 1 and 2 children, boys and girls, some with dance experience; others without, from Toftwood Infant School took part. The theme was ‘A Night at the West End’ so we chose a track from The Lion King as our dance music. We thought this was a child friendly musical that all the children had heard of or had watched the Disney film. It related well to topics that the children had been working on in school such as the current Year 1 topic of Animal Life and children in Year 2 had previously worked on a mini topic about the continent of Africa.
For three and a half weeks the children practised hard during their lunchtimes with the help of Mrs Ponder and Miss McTavish, who both choreographed the dance. The children also printed and decorated their own t-shirts to wear for the show, with the help of Mrs Chapman.
When show day came the children were very excited but understandably nervous, as this was for many, their first performance on a stage. When we arrived at OPEN Norwich the children were wowed by the size of the venue. We had a chance to watch some other schools rehearse before it was our turn. After a few practises on the stage the children’s dance was perfected! Costumes were put on and faces painted ready for the show.
Their dance was fantastic, all the children performed incredibly well and they all said they had enjoyed the experience. We had many comments complimenting the children from parents, governors and teachers.
Well done to all those involved!
