It’s been an incredibly busy three weeks, and I have not had much time to write and post my blog. A lot of performances have been supported and put on by Dance in Devon and I have been lucky to be part of each one.

The Torbay Dance Platform was a great success- a collaboration between Dance in Devon and Doorstep Arts. It took place in The Palace Theatre in Paignton and showcased a very wide range of dance in the Torbay area. For this performance, I stage managed using ‘cans’ for the first time. I realised how challenging it is to be backstage and what it takes to get a show to run smoothly. I had to be efficient, organised and make sure that the children in the wings didn’t make too much noise. The best part of this performance, for me, was the Bollywood flash mob at the end of the evening, where all of the performers got onstage or stood up in front of the audience and performed together en masse. A lot of the audience joined in too! It was a fantastic celebratory way to end a special and dynamic evening.

Dance in Devon also helped the Mayor of Totnes to host a vintage tea dance to raise money for local charities. There was music from the South Devon Big Band and dance from the South West Lindy Hoppers. I helped with the catering simply because there was so much tea & cake! It was wonderful to see so many people out of their seats dancing and having fun. Another highlight of the day was seeing some of my students at Totnes School of Dance perform a lively Lindy Hop demo.

The next performance I was involved in was Dance in Devon’s annual platform at Exeter Northcott Theatre, ‘Watch this Space’. It was a very varied programme – from physical theatre, to improvised scores. I helped by showing the companies to their dressing rooms, making sure their techs ran smoothly and generally being around if anyone needed help. I also performed in Heather Walrond’s choreography as part of Spindrift Dance Collective. It was wonderful to be able to move on such an expansive stage with really intense theatre lights and lots of atmospheric smoke.

My third event was ‘Sprung’, Kevicc’s yearly dance show, in which I was performing with Attik Youth Dartington, the sessions I have been supporting every Thursday. During the last session I supported with Ben, he put the piece together. It was a demanding session and tiring, but it’s a very atmospheric piece and I really enjoy performing in it.After, an idea sharing session, the youth group decided together on ‘The calm before the storm’ as a stimulus for movement. All of the movement was created solely by the children, and only put into a structure by Ben at the very last session.   I also performed in a Kevicc alumni improvisation and a duet I co-created with another dancer Nadjeschda, that I have known since my time at school. This show was very important to me- as it was my old dance teacher’s last year before she retires from the school. Mrs Reeves- Sharp was the first person to ever inspire me to move, she pushed me hard and gave her time regularly from lunch and after-school, to help me with my choreography and technique. Her belief and drive for movement is still a huge inspiration for me today. To mark the occasion, a lot of ex-students travelled back from their companies to be at this  performance to celebrate her contribution to the school and their careers.