More than 100 children and young people performed to packed audiences on Friday and Saturday night (17-18 March), as part of a celebration of local talent hosted by Greenwich Dance.

As part of their annual showcase, groups from Greenwich Dance’s children and young people’s class programme presented their work to two sold-out audiences. They were joined by pupils from St. Ursula’s Convent School and Halstow Primary School, and Greenwich Dance’s company for 13-19 year olds, Lotus Youth Dance Company - who all performed in front of the packed crowd.

Young female students from St Paul’s Academy and Thomas Tallis School also performed their own works, devised as part of a new creative empowerment project for young women aged 13-18. The project Limitless, funded by Charlton Athletic Community Trust and delivered by Greenwich Dance, has been conceived to address the above barriers to physical activity and to improve confidence and resilience in young women across Greenwich.

Completing the line-up were members of Dancing to the Music of Time – Greenwich Dance’s weekly creative dance sessions for dancers aged 55 and above. There were also special guest performances from the Royal Rebelz from Woolwich Polytechnic and Impact Youth.

The two evenings – titled This is Us – were a chance for the dancers to tell their own stories through dance – with much of the choreography devised by the young dancers themselves. Their performances were preceded by short films, giving a behind-the-scenes view of rehearsals. The events took place at Greenwich Dance’s home, The Borough Hall - a Grade II-listed Art Deco building at the heart of Greenwich.

Caron Loudy, Greenwich Dance’s Creative Programme Manager, said after the event: “These performances are a brilliant opportunity for young people to have fun with dance, and to share their own choreography with friends and family. It was fantastic to see so many youngsters taking part, having fun and being creative with the support of their wonderful tutors.

“Greenwich Dance’s classes for young people are now reaching more parts of the Royal Borough of Greenwich than ever before. Our new creative empowerment programme Limitless encourages even more young women from across the borough to engage with dance to learn about leadership skills, motivation and resilience. This includes sessions led by professionals on healthy eating and inspiring female leaders talking about their pathways to and strategies for success.

“Giving these young people a platform to perform is a really important part of the work we do to bring dance to our communities. We look forward to working alongside even more children and young people in the coming months.”

Greenwich Dance’s Saturday morning classes, for children aged 0-18, start again for the Summer term on Saturday 22 April. For more information, visit greenwichdance.org.uk or call 0208 293 9741.

Greenwich Dance’s work with 13-18 year olds is supported by the Charlton Athletic Community Trust. Greenwich Dance is a registered charity, and receives funding from Arts Council England and the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

Photos by Alicia Clarke

Submitted by David Hopkins