Crookhorn Wins 3rd Place at Dance Live! 2024
Earlier this week, 44 of our Year 7-11 students (including 6 crew members) travelled to Portsmouth Guild Hall to compete in Dance Live! a KS2-4 (+further education) dance competition, comprising of nine local schools and colleges.
Our journey to the stage started last year with an open audition for all Crookhorn students at any ability level to sign up and participate. From there students rehearsed after school and produced and recorded their LED screen content and behind-the-scenes videos, led by our Dance Teacher, Mrs Street.
Our theme for our performance this year was 'Wagatha Christie', based on the public dispute between Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney, which culminated in a 2022 libel case in the English High Court, Vardy v Rooney. The performance incorporated a dramatization and retelling of the dispute, the proceeding and trial of the 'War of the WAGS'.
Students arrived at the Guild Hall around 1pm enthusiastic and ready to showcase their talents. After two onstage rehearsals and a warm-up it was time to go to our green room for hair, makeup, and costuming, before the doors opened at 6pm.
Getting everyone ready on time was like a military operation with all students and staff helping out. A huge thank you goes to Mrs Scattergood for helping create all the amazing costumes and hair & makeup looks on the day.
The show promptly started at 7pm to a sold-out audience of parents, friends and school staff coming to support the array of talent on the stage.
Crookhorn's performance was phenomenal, with judges commenting on the impressive use of costuming and props, their clever use of acrobatics and technical lifts and how their LED screen elements perfectly complemented their performance.
Out of nine schools and colleges, we placed 3rd!
Crookhorn was also given an award for the best use of the LED screen and students and staff left the event with a great feeling of pride and accomplishment.
All our students agreed, Dance Live! 2024 was an amazing experience and are exciting to sign up and compete again next year!
Well done to all the students that took part.
“I am overwhelmed, excited and so proud that we won 3rd Place at Dance Live. As a teacher, I have been going to Dance Live for three years and my aim is always to have fun but to try our best to place. This year we were successful and I could not be happier. I have always loved choreography and telling stories and this year, I decided to create a tongue and cheek performance based on the story of Wagatha Christie (where two WAGS are at war). My chorographical dreams came to life with extensive planning and working with the students three days a week after school since September. There were many highs and lows throughout the process but ultimately winning 3rd and seeing the enjoyment from our students faces makes it all worth it. Our feedback was the best we have ever had, the judges enjoyed how we told the story and the comedic side of things which ultimately is down to how the students performed it. On the day, the students were respectful and a real testament to the College. There were students taking lead roles, styling hair and makeup and we really saw them become a team. I think I can say on behalf of myself and the students that we are all looking forward to next year and the creative planning has already started!”