This weekend, Friday 15th and Saturday 16th March, Newcastle University Dance Society will present their annual show at the Northern Stage. This year’s performance is entitled Celebrate Good Times a nod to the good times that will be had by dancers and audience alike. There will be one evening performance on Friday at 19:00 and two performances on Saturday at 14:00 and 19:00.
39 different dances will be showcased in a diverse range of styles. The audience will experience a mixture of Street, Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Musical Theatre, Contemporary and Lyrical styles, performed by dancers of all levels. There will also be solos from advanced dancers Watson D.Hirschfield and Darcy Philipps, as well as a duet from Pippa McLeod-Brown and Elena Corcobado.
The dancers have been preparing since January for what is sure to be a celebration of artistic and athletic talent. The entire show has been choreographed, planned, budgeted and realised by student members of the society. The demanding role of Show Coordinator fell to Media and Communications Studies student Elisa Litvin, who believes “it is going to be one of the most unforgettable performances of this society, as the teachers have truly stepped up their game this year and the dancers have worked extra hard to be absolutely amazing.”
Of her own role she admits it has been a “great challenge”. This relates to the balancing of consideration for the 220 dancers who have given up their time to be a part of the show and the audience who deserve the best performance for deciding to come and see the show. This proves difficult at times as there has been a massive number of people involved in the show and some dances feature up to 70 people!
There are high expectations to be met from last year’s performance Wanna Dance which featured popular numbers such as the uplifting Musical Theatre performance to the hit song The Greatest Show, as well as a dramatic Advanced Contemporary piece to I Know Girls (Body Love) and the unexpected Advanced Ballet piece which merged from classical into Toxic by Britney Spears. Elisa adds to this that the “show is considered one of the most important events of the year for the society and (she) want(s) everyone to have a good time.”
Even though the show is slightly earlier than previous years, when it has been as late as after Easter, it will no doubt be a success. The teachers have been working hard choreographing their show dances. Exciting tunes as well as dramatic costumes and suitable lighting have been picked out to enhance the performance. Meanwhile the dancers have dedicated themselves to learning and polishing their moves for the big night(s).
In addition to the dances choreographed especially for the show, Celebrate Good Times will also give the audience a snapshot into the blood, sweat and tears that have gone into the competition dances this year. All of Newcastle Dance Club’s award-winning competition performances have been slotted into this year’s programme.
Indeed, this year has been especially successful for Newcastle University Dance Club as they have brought home 28 trophies from competitions in Edinburgh, Northumbria, Liverpool and Newcastle itself. The skill and long hours of practicing really payed off and hopefully the same can be said about the show!
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