Brentwoodian 2019

33 This years winter musical of Into the Woods was an exciting challenge that our dance team took on. Into the Woods is a very complex musical, in many ways, from the music to the storyline itself. Within this musical there are no numbers directly incorporating dance, however, as a creative team, we saw this as a great opportunity to offer something new and exciting to our audience. There was a mixture of year groups involved within the dance numbers and we all worked together to create some magical choreography, with Ms Herterich and Miss Choate leading the way. We faced some challenges in terms of timing and the style of dance, so it was a process that could change unexpectedly, however, in the end I believe that, as a company, we managed to create a place for dance within this musical, which is an amazing achievement, together with the other dancers, actors and musicians. By Amiee Mayhew 'Move It' The 8th March saw Brentwood Dance pupils (ranging from GCSE, A Level and IB Diploma students to those who simply dance recreationally) travel to the Excel Centre in London where the world’s biggest dance event, Move It , was being held. Upon arrival at the Excel Centre, the atmosphere was intoxicating - the venue alive with excitement. All dancers made their way to the main entrance where professional dance schools queued in form, stretching and preparing for their number which would later be performed on stage in front of an audience comprised of hundreds. The opening act took form in the incredibly talented students of Bird College who performed a hip-hop routine that received thundering applause and then Brentwood School dance pupils made their way past the flashing lights and cameras, heading toward the grand entrance to the function room where the main events were held. The majority of our time at Move It was spent rifling through the goodies that each dance stall had to offer as a lot of our dancing girls found themselves in conversation with some of the industry’s most praised dance institutions and companies. Some of us networked with professional management companies in the dancing world whilst others were featured in sponsorships for social media purposes - these experiences being the first of many for those of us who are looking to a career in the1 Dance and Performance industry in the near future. Many of us were also lucky enough to find ourselves face-to- face with some of the biggest giants in the industry Into the Woods - from The Greatest Dancer finalists to West End stars such as Layton Williams who starred in the musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie . The day came to a close on a high, as the main stage came alive with headlining acts such as Aston Merrygold (most famous for his role in noughties pop band JLS) and Company Wayne McGregor and Layton Williams. The event was a tremendous success as it not only enabled us to watch various world-famous dance acts but also let us gain a wider insight into the world of dance through networking with other dancers and talking to the professional dance companies. By Megan Buntrock Brentwood takes on