Today marks new beginnings for some of our lovely class of 2015/6.
Eve Wilson will go back to Newcastle University where she will start her second year studying Food Nutrition and Marketing. Elle Longden-Lyons who is currently a trainee teacher with us now and has been attending the school since the ripe age of 2 years old is planning her next dance qualifications and steps towards a possible summer in Camp America.
While Isabelle commences her Musical Theatre degree at the University of Chichester, Sheffield Hallam will be receiving two lovely young ladies into their degree programmes: Molly Barrowclough and Megan Clixby, both trainee teachers of ours, will be making a start on their freshers’ week today. Molly will be studying Early Years with QTS and Megan will be studying Adult Nursing.
These girls have been with us a long time and we’ve got rather attached to them! We hope all your paths lead you to success, and we will be following your progress with great interest. We’re very proud of all of you, and wish you all the best. We look forward to seeing you soon!
We’re very much looking forward to a familiar face returning to Sheffield this Christmas, and that’s our own former pupil Matthew Croke!
Matt returns to lead a class
Matt has secured his place in Sheffield Theatres‘ Christmas musical, Annie Get Your Gun, which will be performed on the Crucible stage 9 December 2016-14 January 2017. Rehearsals begin in the autumn and in the meantime Matt has been finishing up his run as the lead in Singin’ in the Rain.
We’re excited to be hosting a workshop led by a cast member of Cats the Musical International Tour 2016-17! The musical theatre session will take place at St Thomas More Community Centre on Sunday 2nd October between 3-5pm.
The class is appropriate for all those who are Grade 3 Modern Jazz and above and will cost £20. If you are interested, please contact Miss Rebecca to reserve your spot.
For girls, we recommend leggings/tights and a leotard. For boys, cycle shorts/leggings and a t-shirt.
If you are a new starter with us, there is no rush to buy leotards or dance shoes. However, if you have been attending class for 3/4 weeks or more, your child will need a pair of ballet shoes and a pair of tap shoes.
Dancewear and shoes can be found at both dance stores and online shops. Locally, there are the following shops:
High Green Gymnastics – Paces Centre, High Green
Arabesque – Woodseats
Dance Ability – Rotherham
Online,Dance Direct has a wide selection on offer. We would however recommend getting shoes fitted in person (at least for the first time) because all shoes differ according to brand.
Alternatively, at class we have some second hand shoes available at a very reduced price. Please see one of us for further details.
The pantomime news is coming thick and fast! Adding to our array of Berry Boys and Girls in South Yorkshire Christmas productions are 6 of our pupils who will be appearing in Manor Operatic Society‘s Jack and the Beanstalk.
No stranger to Manor’s spectacular productions, having performed in Barnum and Cinderella, Ewan Revill will be happily returning to the Sheffield City Hall stage, and joining him are our pupils Billy Dunn, Benjamin Povey, Conner Povey, Gabriel Sharrock and Gracie Smedley-Croke.
This takes the Berry Babe count up to 23 pupils appearing in Christmas shows across South Yorkshire. Our December and January calendars are looking more and more full!
Congratulations to the pupils selected for Shone Productions‘ Christmas pantomime at Rotherham Civic Theatre! Well done to all our pupils who auditioned today.
The team who will be part of the Snow White cast this Christmas is: Isabel Adshead, Hêlin Arslan, Abigail Bridger, Megan Bridger, Grace Mitchell, Niamh Thompson, Evie Wright and Laylah Xaba.
We’re very much looking forward to watching the girls in action!
Technical Rehearsals: Saturday 26th until Wednesday 30th November
Rehearsal times are to be confirmed. Additional rehearsals may be added if required. All information including performance schedule will be given out at the first rehearsal.
The children will be performing as dancers and dwarfs. The dwarf heads can sometimes make the children feel very hot; they will be worn for most of the dance routines. The children need to be made aware of this before attending the audition.
Anyone wishing to attend please register your interest with Miss Rebecca.
Over the course of these summer holidays, 12 of our pupils were lucky enough to attend the summer schools of professional dance colleges, Urdang Academy in London and Phil Winston’s Theatreworks in Blackpool.
Alexandra O’Brien, Jack Skelton & Bridie Thorpe spent the week at Urdang. Every morning there was Ballet & Jazz on the menu and in the afternoons the students had a choice of workshop. As the girls will tell you themselves:
We had a warm up every morning, which killed me! Then every day, everyone in the class one by one had to do a triple pirouette on each leg… by the end of the week we mastered it! We did corner work and freestyle/improv every lesson. I loved it. My teacher, Regan Shepherd was amazing.
My favourite part was the whole aura of London life, when we weren’t dancing in class, we were in the studios just dancing around – it was so easy to just be yourself and everyone was so friendly.
Bridie
This week was so good, I enjoyed every minute of it and it gave me a chance to see what it was like before I audition next year, and now I can see myself training there. I loved it, I made so many new friends and it made me very excited for the future.
Alex
Maddie Dunn, Maisie Ganley, Lucy Holcroft, Eleanor Jackson, Megan Moore, Gabriel Sharrock, Charlotte Stones, Megan Thorpe & Aliyah Xaba attended Phil Winston’s Theatreworks.
I had a great time in Blackpool sharing a hotel with around 80 kids from all over, including Greece. I loved commercial and contemporary as I had never tried these before. We travelled to the class on a private double decker bus and we had so much fun together. My body ached like never before and I felt exhausted but I can’t wait for next year!
Aliyah
It was a very busy week!! We went from 9 in the morning until 4 at night, starting with warm up, corner work, stretching and then a routine in these workshops. We’d then start rehearsing for our show dances which were featured in our end of week production of ‘The Works – Summer School’! My favourite dance would have to be the ballet – I got specially chosen by the Ballet teacher (as well as Gabriel!) and we danced to a slow violin version of Robert Miles! I also really enjoyed the commercial dance because it’s not something we do often – a nice challenge.
All the summer school went to the south pier on Thursday night and went on the rides! It was the best week ever, we all learned so much and it was very inspiring.
Charlotte
We stayed in a hotel in Blackpool and the owners put on a disco two of the nights we were there. They even took us to the circus and south pier, it was really nice!
Maddie
We’re very glad all our pupils enjoyed their times at summer school so much. We were particularly delighted that Gabriel Sharrock and Aliyah Xaba were awarded scholarships for the holiday school at Phil Winston’s next year! We’re looking forward to seeing what you’ve all learned.
Congratulations are in order for our very own Miss Marie Horner who has added to her score of teaching qualifications!
Marie with some pupils at our school production
Marie has recently completed module 1 of her Licentiate Tap qualification and not only has she completed it, but achieved a Distinction. Not to mention accomplishing all this during our ever busy and demanding school production earlier this year!
Well done Marie, and best of luck for the next steps.
If you’d like to find out more about our teaching staff, please click here.
Theatre Dance Council International is the umbrella organisation for dance associations across the country and in August they hold the British Championships. Every member association enters their best dancers to compete against each other, the best of the best.
Bree and a very proud mum at the Champs.
Bree Quinton, as the International Dance Teachers’ Association (IDTA) Modern Jazz Performer of 2016, attended this competition on behalf of the IDTA. She performed outstandingly and the whole school was only too proud of her.
Here’s what she had to say:
It was a scholarship class with a simple warm up; stretches, jogs etc., but then we were taught us a swing-style dance. I enjoyed it so much doing a different style but still with jazz elements. The teacher had recently played the Stalker in The Bodyguard and the lead in Singin’ in the Rain. He was so lovely and welcoming which made me feel much more relaxed.
There were six of us. We all got a trophy at the end as we were representing such big dance associations. It was so enjoyable to have to pick it up under pressure and have the chance to perform and sell it – it’s quite thrilling, and although nerve-wracking, I enjoy the challenge!
I felt so privileged to have been chosen and really enjoyed it even though I didn’t win. I tried my hardest and felt I did myself and the dance school proud.
Bree Quinton, IDTA Modern Jazz Performer 2016
Berry Academy of Dance 