When they’re not taking exams, competing in festivals or performing in our productions, our Berry Boys & Girls tend to do us proud in lots of other ways. We’ve collated our achievements over our long and varied history here.
IDTA Theatre Dance Awards
Students can be nominated to dance in the IDTA’s Theatre Dance Awards based on their performance in their syllabus examination. We have seen more than 50 pupils compete in this prestigious event nominated for over 150 examination performances.
We have also been incredibly proud to be the home of eight IDTA winners:
IDTA Theatre Award Winners
Students can be nominated by the examiner to dance in the
IDTA’s Theatre Dance Awards based on their performance
in their syllabus examination. Since 2017, we have had 82
Theatre Award nominations, 16 Special Commendations
and an incredible 11 Award Winners!
2023: Abi Bridger placed in the top 6 in the Theatre Craft Grades class and received a special commendation
2022: Ken Dodd Tap Award Winner Eva Cadet
2022: Double Award Winner Bradley Mayfield
2022: IDTA Tap Grades Winner and 2022 Ken Dodd Tap Award Winner
2021: IDTA Theatre Craft Performers Winner Maisie Ganley
2020: Peggy Harrison Award Winner Maisie Ganley
2019: Ken Dodd Tap Award Winner Maisie Ganley
2019: Ken Dodd Tap Award Winner Jack Skelton
2018 – IDTA Tap Performers Winner Charlotte Stones
2017 – IDTA Tap Grade Winner Jack Skelton
2016: Bree Quinton – Modern Jazz Performers
2014: Charlotte Stones – Tap Grades
IDTA Examinations Taken
2021 – Over 180 IDTA Examinations taken, amazing results
despite most of the learning being online. 16 Theatre
Award Nominations received.
2020 – Over 120 IDTA examinations taken – Highest exam
mark received in the school’s history of 98% from Maisie
Ganley for Advanced 1 Theatre Craft. 4 Theatre Award
Nominations received.
2019 – Over 300 IDTA Examinations taken – 17 IDTA Theatre
Award Nominations
2019 IDTA Theatre Dance Awards
The following pupils represented the school, some in more than one discipline: Ewan Revill, Jack Skelton, Maisie Ganley, Lucy Holcroft, Lauren Wadsworth, Eve Wainwright, Megan Birks and Megan Thorpe
Finalists: Maisie Ganley, Jack Skelton, Lauren Wadsworth, Eve Wainwright, Lucy Holcroft, Ewan Revill
Special Commendations: Maisie Ganley, Lauren Wadsworth, Lucy Holcroft, Ewan Revill, Jack Skelton
To find out more, please click here.
2020 IDTA Theatre Dance Awards
Representing the school this year is:
Maisie Ganley, Lucy Holcroft, Eleanor Jackson, Aliyah Xaba and Eva Cadet.
Finalists: Maisie Ganley, Lucy Holcroft, Eva Cadet
Special Commendations: Maisie Ganley
IDTA Miss Dance/Dance Master
Finalists
This annual event hosted by the IDTA takes place at the Winter Gardens Theatre in Blackpool. The competition gives a great opportunity to performers who are at the threshold of their profession. There are 50 heats across the UK, many of our students have won heats to gain a place in the final of Miss Dance and Dance Master of Great Britain. Here are our finalists from the past few years; Many of our students have won heats to gain a place in the final of this prestigious competition:
1990: Amanda Constantinou (née Ellis)
1995: Rebecca Akers (3rd place), Emma Crookes (grand finalist)
1996: Rebecca Akers, Emma Crookes, Zoe Percival
1997: Rebecca Akers, Emma Crookes, Julia Gartside
1998: Rebecca Akers, Emma Crookes
2001: Kimberley Adshead
2002: James O’Connell (3rd place)
2004: Matthew Croke (3rd place)
2006: Devon McKenzie-Smith (3rd place)
2015: Rebecca Hanneman, Bree Quinton, Bridie Thorpe
2016: Bree Quinton (semi-finalist), Rebecca Hanneman, Alexandra O’Brien, Charlotte Stones, Bridie Thorpe
2017: Rebecca Hanneman (grand finalist), Alexandra O’Brien, Bree Quinton (3rd place), Jack Skelton, Charlotte Stones (semi-finalist)
2018: Rebecca Hanneman, Jack Skelton, Charlotte Stones
2019: Lucy Holcroft (3rd place), Jack Skelton (3rd place), Lauren Wadsworth (semi-finalist), Maisie Ganley, Ewan Revill
2022: Maisie Ganley, Bradley Mayfield
2023: Eva Mae Cadet
2022 Finalists Maisie Ganley and Bradley Mayfield
TDCI World Performer Finalists
2021 – Maisie Ganley
2019 – Maisie Ganley, Lucy Holcroft, Ewan Revill
TDCI Champ of Champions Finalists
2022 – Maisie Ganley, Bradley Mayfield
2019 – Maisie Ganley, Jack Skelton, Lucy Holcroft
Professional Dance College
Pupils have successfully auditioned and are accepted into professional performing arts colleges to continue their training for a career in the industry;
2022
Eleanor Jackson – Performers College
Bradley Mayfield – Performers College
2021
Maisie Ganley – Performers College
Kayla Barnes – Addict Dance Academy
2020
Lucy Holcroft – Bird College
Millie Boynton – Bird College
Conner Povey – Bird College
Ewan Revill – Wilkes Academy
2019
Jack Skelton – Urdang Academy
Conner Povey – Laine Theatre Arts
Lauren Wadsworth– Laine Theatre Arts
Shows/Pantomimes
2022 – So far this year, 6 pupils have appeared in local shows: Matilda Jnrs, Made in Dagenham, And the Winner is?
2021 – 13 pupils performed in amateur shows: Moana, Elf the Musical, Snow White
2020 – 2 pupils appeared in 42nd Street (Montgomery Theatre)
2019 – 21 pupils in various pantomimes across South Yorkshire as well as pupils appearing in various professional and amateur shows: Standing at a Sky’s Edge, Hello Dolly, Our House, Bring it On, Shrek the Musical, Wizard of Oz.
Pantomime
From 2000 to the present day there have been Berry Babes performing in theatres across South Yorkshire’s pantomimes every Christmas.
2012 Cinderella, Sheffield Lyceum, Peter Pan, Rotherham Civic
2013 Jack and the Beanstalk, Sheffield Lyceum, Beauty and the Beast, Rotherham Civic
2014 Peter Pan, Sheffield City Hall, Dick Whittington, Sheffield Lyceum, Aladdin, Rotherham Civic
2015 Aladdin, Sheffield Lyceum, Cinderella, Rotherham Civic, Cinderella, Sheffield City Hall
2016 Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Sheffield Lyceum., Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Rotherham Civic, Jack and the Beanstalk, Sheffield City Hall, Jack and the Beanstalk, Doncaster Cast Theatre, Once Upon A Time, Worksop Acorn Theatre.
2017 Mother Goose, Sheffield Lyceum, Wizard of Oz, Sheffield Crucible, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rotherham Civic Theatre, Sleeping Beauty, Sheffield City Hall, Beauty and the Beast, Doncaster Cast Theatre
2018 – Peter Pan, Lyceum; Aladdin Sheffield City Hall
2019 – Sleeping Beauty Rotherham; Cinderella Lyceum; Jack and the Beanstalk Chesterfield; Dick Whittington Sheffield City Hall
2021 – Snow White, Sheffield City Hall
Alton Towers
2022 – 37 pupils performed in a showcase at Alton Towers with ‘So You Want to Dance’
Disneyland Paris
August 2019: 2019 – 18 pupils, parents and teachers, travelled to Disneyland Paris to perform on Disney’s
Videopolis stage for an international audience
August 2015: 36 very excited Berry pupils convened in Marne-la-Vallée, France to perform on Euro Disney’s Videopolis stage. The pupils performed a 20-minute show to the guests of the park and enjoyed a magical trip to the home of Mickey & Minnie. To watch the video, click here.
September 2017: 21 pupils showcased their talents at Disneyland Paris once again in a fantastic performance on the Videopolis Stage, such a magical trip.
September 2019: 20 pupils performed at Disneyland Paris at the wonderful Videopolis Stage, another magical experience for our pupils!
Take That
80 friends and family of the school were invited to join Take That’s tour during their 3-day session in Sheffield. Learning the choreography for the trio’s show, we were delighted to join Gary, Howard & Mark on the stage to perform behind them in front of a huge Sheffield Arena audience.
Billy Elliot
Our pupil James Lomas beat out thousands of other boys to become one of the original 3 Billys in Elton John’s new musical Billy Elliot, in 2005. James went on to win an Olivier Award for his performance in the West End production. In 2015, our pupil Bradley Mayfield joined the West End cast as Billy’s best friend, Michael. We very much enjoyed joining both Brad and James for Billy Elliot’s final West End gala performance in April 2016. Bradley has joined the UK & Ireland Tour.
Full Monty
In 2012 our pupil Ewan Revill won the much-coveted role of Nathan in this new musical adaptation of one of Sheffield’s best exports. Following an incredibly successful run at Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre, Ewan joined the show on its UK & Ireland Tour in 2013.
Everything Else!
May 2018: Ten pupils were selected to appear in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Sheffield City Hall with Manor Operatics Society – Ewan Revill, Jack Skelton, Conner Povey, Alycia Mayfield, Leyla Arslan, Jemima Smith, Isabel Adshead, Grace Mitchell, Abigail Bridger and Evie Bradford.
2018: TDCI Champion of Champions competition – Jack Skelton represented the school in this prestigious event held in Fleetwood in the senior tap category
Feb 2018: Dylan Hughes joins the cast of Matilda the Musical UK and Ireland tour
May 2017: Some our pupils took part in Singing’ in the Rain at Sheffield’s City Hall, with Isabelle Sykes & Jack Skelton playing the lead roles of Kathy Selden and Cosmo Brown.
April 2017: 40 pupils learned from Ollie Botterill, Tap Attack teacher in a workshop that drew on his abundant experience in Tap Factory, Simply Gershwin, Spirit of the Dance and much more.
October 2016: Over 25 pupils enjoyed a professional musical theatre workshop with a cast member of the UK & International Tour of Cats the Musical.
August 2016: Bree Quinton competed on behalf of the IDTA at the British Dance Championships.
July 2016: Four pupils competed in the East Coast Championships, with Jack Skelton winning a place in the Tap semi-finals.
May 2016: Two Counties Dance Festival – Rebecca Hanneman Senior Bursary Winner
January 2016: Images Dancewear – Rebecca Hanneman, Conner Povey, Jack Skelton & Bridie Thorpe modelled the dancewear designs
November 2015: Former pupil Alice Wilson took the crown at Miss Burlesque Idol
July 2015: Northern Star Blackpool – Eleanor Jackson runner-up
July 2015: Jack Skelton & Charlotte Stones successfully auditioned for Tap Attack
May 2015: Two Counties Dance Festival – Isabelle Sykes Senior Bursary Winner
April 2015: Frankie Beetlestone took up his place at Sylvia Young Theatre School
January 2015: Images Dancewear – Abigail Bridger, Maisie Ganley, Rebecca Hanneman & Jack Skelton modelled the dancewear designs
North and South Yorkshire Championships – Maisie Ganley Junior Modern Winner and Rebecca Hanneman Senior Modern Winner 2014.
Kes – Rebecca Hanneman and Bree Quinton appeared in this new balletic interpretation at the Sheffield Crucible in 2014.
Oliver! – Georgia Barnes, Eleanor Jackson, Ewan Revill, Gabriel Sharrock & Jack Skelton joined the cast of the Sheffield Crucible’s Christmas musical in 2013.
Barbara Sharples Choreographic Award – both Miss Marie Horner & Miss Lois McFarlane have reached the finals of this competition, in 2011 and in 2013.
Various local operatic productions including those with Manor Operatic Society; Isabelle Sykes starring as Annie in 2012, Maisie Ganley appearing as Chip in Beauty and the Beast in 2013, Jack Skelton in Me and My Girl in 2014, and Ewan Revill, Jack & Isabelle in Barnum in 2016. Georgia and Kayla Barnes, Eva Cadet, Maddie Dunn and Maisie Ganley appeared in Dinnington Operatic’s Annie in 2014 while Kodi Cunningham appeared with Worksop Light Operatic in 2015 in Oliver!.
Showcase
Unfortunately no longer being organised by the IDTA, Showcase was a fabulous performance of all different disciplines of dance from IDTA schools across the country. Schools had to audition their troupes to make it into the show, which was held at Her Majesty’s Theatre, London.
1993 Sleepy Shores
1995 Lullaby on Broadway
1997 The Hunt
2003 On a Clear Day
2005 Robert Miles
2007 Hey Pachuco
2009 Hairspray
Berry Academy of Dance 