So Friday 20th September 2019 turned out to be one of the best experiences the dancers and myself have ever had! We opened the Royal Family Crew’s European tour!
Flash back to Friday 6th September, where I had two missed calls and a text from teacher Sophie Coleman, telling me to call her urgently. When I got through to her she excitedly told me how Sylk Dance had been selected by SOAR Dance UK to open for the Royal Family and did we want to accept. Of course we did!
Sophie had been asked to choreograph the piece, with the extra challenge of less than two weeks and limited studio space. However she was excited and full of ideas for the show. One thing we didn’t have though was dancers!
We felt the best option was to audition our competitive and advanced dancers to be part of the piece. The children who auditioned were aged 11-18 and on Sunday 8th September, we selected 13 dancers to be part of the show. The auditions were tough and we roped in Dancer/teacher James Webb to make the final decision, as it would be too hard for Sophie and myself to do so alone.
By that evening I think every dancer that had taken part had been challenged and learnt something from the experience. It was great to see the children in a real audition environment, as it will prepare them for the real dance-world!
Over 5 rehearsals and 15 hours of practise the dancers and Sophie produced an incredible set for the show. I was overwhelmed with the quality, considering the difficulty of the choreography and the little time they had. They were hard pushed to get it it finished, but after working until 10pm on the Thursday, they were ready for Fridays performance.
After a bit of a nightmare getting to Warrington Parr Hall, due to heavy traffic we all made it in time to have a quick practice on stage. What the dancers hadn’t realised was the man watching from the seating was Parris Gobel’s father and manager. Not only that but there were also several Royal Family Dancers wandering around the theatre!
Our dancers blew everyone away and the support from the crowd was incredible. I was so proud of them and the hard work they had put in.
After their performance the kids joined me in the seating to watch the Royal Family perform. I knew they were incredible but to see them dance live was truly amazing. I think every dancer was inspired and for the first time, truly realised what an opportunity they had been given. The look on their faces when the Royal Family first came out was unforgettable.
Before leaving the dancers were allowed to go on stage with the crew for a group photo. The dancers were so friendly and approachable and made every dancer who came on stage feel special. Then before we knew it, it was all over! Everyone was totally exhausted, but there was still a buzz in the air even as we headed back to the cars to go home. All I know is that if we can achieve that level in only 2 weeks, then our dancers need to up their game and push harder in their regular classes! I will be expecting nothing less than what I saw that night from now on. In fact, the dancers did that well we have decided to keep the team together and form a Mega Crew to take part in further competitions and performances so watch this space....
