Shows & Performances
Northern Dance Centre Shows….
are a memorable opportunity for our children and students to showcase their talents onstage. From learning the first eight counts of choreography in class to the final bow onstage, Shows are definitely one of the highlights of a dancer’s life!
We aim to hold Shows every two years and these are traditionally held in different locations. Children in the school travel to us from all over North/West Yorkshire and Lancashire so we have always tried to vary the locations so that it is fair to everyone, and in the past have held Shows at venues such as Giggleswick School, South Craven School, Skipton Girls’ High School, Skipton Town Hall, Grassington Town Hall, Ilkley Kings Hall, Ilkley Playhouse, and best of all for anniversary shows, The Alhambra, Bradford. We also vary productions by sometimes having the entire school together, but often having Junior and Senior Shows on a smaller scale too. Our last Shows were filmed due to the Covid pandemic, a very different way of doing things but one that the children adapted to, and they loved having our own studio theatre. With the refurbishment of Skipton Town Hall now complete we look forward to performing there more often, a little closer to home!
The Benefits of Performing…
Performing in a show is one of the highlights of a dancer’s training. Shows give children the opportunity to work together as a class, to learn routines, practice memory techniques, follow directions and display the talents they have developed over time. Shows are an exciting time to be on stage and to perform for parents, relatives and friends. A time to shine!
Participating in a scheduled performance helps children set goals, develop self-discipline, self-motivation, patience and a desire to set goals and succeed.
Performing can help encourage a shy student to develop self-confidence. It develops enthusiasm which can carry over into other areas of a child’s life. If they love dancing, then they experience what is can mean to be ‘passionate’ about something they care about. Having passion for something at a young age teaches children what it means to feel strongly about something and what it takes to do a good job at something you care about.
The experience of performing helps a child learn to feel comfortable with being themselves and feel at ease in front of a group of observers. Learning new skills and routines for Shows encourages a child’s general knowledge and vocabulary, music style awareness and versatility. We encourage children to embrace the experience, to discover more about themselves and to be there to support and clap everyone else in their class and in the school.
One comment we often hear after the Show is how your child won’t stop talking about it! The excitement lifts them up long after the curtain has come down. We love hearing about this kind of enthusiasm, and we hope you’ll keep the dance conversation going at home. This is an excellent time to listen to what your child has to say about what they liked best or what was challenging.
After the Show, costumes become special mementos, programmes become keepsakes, photos become scrapbook centrepieces, and DVDs or downloaded films often become your household’s most-watched entertainment! The time may have passed, but the souvenirs remain … along with the personal growth each student has achieved.
Learning how to dance is a gradual process, and some skills take years to fully master—but however big or small the steps are, it is a major accomplishment for anyone to perform in front of hundreds of people! All the hard work is worthwhile when a dancer experiences the high fives and smiles and congratulations that the Show brings from classmates, family, and friends.
