A Celebration of Five Glorious Years of Providing Dance Lessons for Children across Cardiff and the Vale
In September 2022 we marked a monumental milestone – the 5th anniversary of our dance school! On this week we celebrated with the children, holding a birthday party at the studio. This was an incredible day (a personal highlight of mine) and one the children talk about often.
We wanted to go further and give our students and parents an experience to treasure. Therefore, to cap off this important milestone, and complete the celebrations before we turned 6, we put on a whole school dance show! Our Ballet, Commercial Hip hop, Modern Theatre & Tap, and Pre-school classes came together to perform in this one off show where the children performed in a sold out theatre of 750 spectators!!
This show was a testament to the sheer joy, talent, exuberance, creativity, and enthusiasm that our young performers bring to the stage, creating cherished memories for all those who attended.
Building a Community
Aside from our holiday dance camps and parties that are open to students from all classes, we don't get many opportunities to bring students and parents from across the whole school together.
This was an excellent opportunity for all of our students to work together, share a stage with their peers from different classes, create big production routines, and perform to a large audience. It was also an opportunity for our families to celebrate and cheer for each and every one of our dancers.
During our rehearsal days over the summer holidays, the children got to build on relationships and create new friendships with students from different classes. These days were invaluable, not only for being able to bring to life our big production numbers but for building that sense of community and belonging in our students.
I always applaud how well you, the audience, participate in the shows and make the children feel comfortable, confident, and special. You always cheer loudly, clap, and encourage them throughout. You didn't disappoint at the 5th Anniversary Show! Your support makes such a difference to the children's enjoyment of the experience and helps the shy and less confident students build up their self esteem.
The shared pride in their achievements and the collective celebration of our student's accomplishments strengthened the feeling of community that we all feel here at Flame Dance Studios.
Collaboration between classes
The show was an excellent opportunity for our young dancers to come together and perform in larger scale productions. We choreographed big numbers for our Matilda section and Lion King production, with multiple classes coming together to perform in the same routine.
This was the first time our students had to learn complicated formations, dance with unfamiliar peers, and manage multiple stage entrances and exits within a routine. They handled these new challenges with enthusiasm and I think their performances were a testament to their hard work in engaging with these new skills.
A fabulous anniversary show
The children danced incredibly and didn't seem at all phased by the huge audience! I couldn't be prouder of every one of them. They dedicated so much time and energy to the preparations and practicing at home and it really did pay off on the day.
I hope they are all enjoying watching the show video at home and seeing how well they danced.
Congratulations to all the dancers, and we can't wait to see what they will accomplish next!
Behind the Scenes
Behind every successful show are dedicated chaperones, costume orgainsers, and teachers who work tirelessly to make the magic happen. The creative process is a long one with hundreds of hours of choreography and teaching. Costume sourcing, sorting, and ironing. Courses and admin for all of our chaperones. However, the growth and newfound confidence of our students make it all worthwhile. Every person who helped behind the stage commented on how much they enjoyed the company of the children and can't wait for the next show!
Planning for the Future: Season 7
Anticipation is already building for the next dance show as we aim to surpass the heights reached in our anniversary show. We will be going back to our usual setup, splitting the children into smaller groups to keep the shows short and sweet and giving the children as much stage time as possible. This doesn't however mean that our ambitions for the magic of the show are reduced. We can't wait to show you the new routines that the children have been working on. Their ability and confidence grow with each show and I know the next show will be the best one yet!
It's not too late to join us. If you'd like your child to join our dance school and become part of our community you can book a trial in our classes using the link below;
Comments