Published February 7th, 2025
A 70-strong team of St Joseph’s pupils and staff went to Portsmouth Guildhall on Wednesday 5th February for this year’s Dance Live! competition.
The pupils, from Year 8 to Year 11, have been rehearsing almost every week since September. They have been working with choreographer Hatti from Panthera Dance Company, preparing to compete at the regional heats for the second year in a row.
Each school is allowed to choose their own theme for their performance. This year, ours was titled Threads of Illusion, and used the circus as a metaphor for the fast fashion industry and the impact of child labour.
The day began with all schools being given a slot to rehearse their pieces twice each on the stage, with just two minutes in between for teacher feedback. The show then started at 7pm, with St Joseph’s heading to the stage around 7:30pm.
Our team performed excellently, doing everything they could to show the audience the standard of talent we have here at St Joseph’s! The judge’s feedback was incredibly positive, highlighting their effort on stage, the mature theme, and the way the performance complimented the LED screen at the back of the stage, which was there to give context to the narrative.
Across the board, the talent was extremely high and we were wowed at some of the other schools’ performances. Although St Joseph’s didn’t place in the top 3, we came away with two awards: one for our LED screen, and a special Technical Award.
We are so proud of the entire team not only for their dedication, talent and resilience, but for their camaraderie and sportsmanship. Spirits were still high at the end of the night, with some pupils even planning next year’s theme on the coach back to school!
A video of the full performance will be available to view soon, as well as professional photography from the day which will be available for purchase.
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