by Sam Smith
(De Montfort University student)
Students from the Leicestershire division of a dance company impressed audiences with their performances in the city centre last week.
The Dream Academy of Dancing group, made up of mixed ages and abilities, put on its annual show on the evening of Friday January 21 and Saturday February 1 at the Phoenix on Newarke Street.
Lizzie Robb, 17, who is now a senior member at the dance academy, said: “It was great to finally be able to perform in front of a packed crowd and I think it went as well as it could have gone.
“We have been preparing for this show for several months now, and to see the audience enjoying themselves is really pleasing for all of us.”
Robb, who has been dancing at the academy for nine years now, was announced as the ‘Best Contemporary Dancer’ after the show on Saturday, as part of an illustrious awards ceremony they organise each year.
The highlight of the night was a dance performed to Rihanna’s song ‘Diamonds’, which involved individual routines and group moves, and met with the biggest roar of the evening from the audience.
The dancers ages ranged from as young as four-years-old, to those in their 50s. But, everyone was given a fair chance to show off their ability on stage in front of what was a sell-out crowd on the Saturday night.
Everybody involved, from the lighting department and music technicians, to the dance teachers themselves were thrilled with the outcome of the show.
