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THIS was nothing short of a magical celebration of the world of dance. Running at a little over two and a half hours in length it held us all spellbound as the students took us through 43 routines and as many destinations … with pizazz and style.
The event started with a delightful mother/daughter lecture on how we should behave during the concert. No filming, no phone calls, no leaving our seats during the performance or clogging up the aisles.
Being the adults that we were, almost 84 per cent of us behaved ourselves. Sadly, as no one had mentioned not waving like crazy to one’s offspring who were performing, a lot of the time we were treated to hands and arms held high as delighted parents tried to distract their daughters (and the occasional son) performing on stage.
Still, none of that could detract from the quality of the performances throughout the show.
Whilst I have to admit that the age of most of the songs - 30 years plus- was an added bonus for me, I think that everyone in the Cultural Hall must have been enchanted.
We started out our journey in Old Amsterdam with a cute mouse living in a house there and travelled around the world crisscrossing Europe, South America and Asia until we arrived safely In New York.
Every single piece was a triumph, from the careful choreography that showcased each dancer’s talents beautifully, to the costumes that added to the visual image and didn’t distract.
There were so many memorable performances but the one that earned the greatest applause was the Shout Out For England by a group of young male dancers representing the nation’s footballers. For once, thanks to them, England actually won the cup!
Also Jai Ho, the famous anthem which had us all jigging in our seats and, a beautifully sung and danced rendition of Don’t Cry For Me Argentina. Simply magical.
Victoria Shaban always pushes the boundaries in her shows and this year was just as thoughtful and filled with unexpected moments.
The harrowing song of a country’s journey to independence, simply called Bangladesh, was tastefully and delightfully choreographed. Very powerful, especially when showcased in this way.
But the real stand out for me was the absolutely delightful Galway Girl, an Irish ballad portrayed by half its performers as a semi-traditional Irish Jig, whilst the other half danced ‘on point’ and with traditional ballet steps … an absolutely stunning invocation to the Lords of the Dance.
The hard work and dedication of everyone involved in the production paid off in the excellence of the dancers, the choreography, the production itself and the costumes. They proved what the brochure told us, that ‘Dance is Our Passion’. And, as the pain in my hands from so much ardent clapping proves, it was the audience’s passion as well.
Congratulations to everyone involved.
