It’s doubtful there was a dry eye in His Majesty’s Theatre last night as talented young dancers from Danscentre finally had their time to shine in the spotlight.
Like the girl sitting a few rows in front of me, tears streamed down my face as a moving video montage of the children dancing in their back gardens, living rooms, kitchens and parks during lockdown was beamed across the stage alongside heartfelt quotes about their love of dance.
Story of resilience
Far from just a dance show, iDance was a celebration of the resilience of children expressed by children through the power of dance.
Proud mums, dads, grannies, grandpas, brothers and sisters, clapped and cheered with with pride as the young dancers instantly brought the stage to life with their beaming smiles, incredible moves and dazzling costumes.
Wizard of Oz
Entitled ‘Journey into the Unknown’ – a reflection of the turbulent times the dance school has overcome through Covid- the Wizard of Oz themed first act was a spectacle to behold.
From a hip-hop busting tin man and a point perfect lion to a pirouetting scarecrow and a waltzing witch, the audience were clicking their heels with joy like young Lola-Mae Gill, who was phenomenal as Dorothy (complete with sparkling red trainers).
Emotionally charged performance
In fact every single dancer was phenomenal and considering that the children have spent eight months out of the last two years being taught online due to Covid, their professionalism is nothing short of astounding.
Uplifting yet poignant, each dance tugged at the heartstrings as the children visibly put every ounce of themselves into their ballet, tap, contemporary and modern performances.
Huge cheers erupted from the audience when the ‘Men in Black’ appeared on stage to showoff their awesome moves and snazzy sunglasses and black suit combination.
Swan Lake
Stunning is the perfect word to describe Act Two as a sea of glittering ballerinas took to the stage to take the audience on an enchanting journey through classic ballets including Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, La Sylphide, Raymonda and Giselle.
Tears soon filled my eyes – and the eyes of others in the audience – again when the dancers appeared on stage wearing black to perform a powerful yet gentle contemporary piece to the song ‘Abide with Me’.
Ending on a high, the third act had everyone in the audience tapping their toes and bobbing their heads to the beat as the dancers leapt into The Musical section with routines to Cats and The West Side Story.
Dancing mums
But some of the biggest claps and cheers were reserved for the amazing dancing mums who put on a slick show with their version of a dance from the hit musical Chicago.
The final lump in the throat moment came when older pupils, who didn’t get the chance to perform in what was to be their last show in June 2020 due to Covid, took to the stage.
Ethereal and elegant, the dancers put on a truly exquisite display of contemporary dance to the song ‘Let it Be’ by the Beatles.
Judging by the rapturous reception from the crowd as the children gave their final bows, it’s certainly a show that everyone will remember for a very long time.
For it was a show all about the resilience of young people and how dance was the light that got them through the dark days of lockdown.
For more information and tickets for iDance, presented by Danscentre at HMT, visit aberdeenperformingarts.com