On Saturday 2nd April Emmerson School of Dance, based in Petts Wood, Kent, performed a spectacular dance show at the Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks, titled 'Fairytales and Dreams'.

The atmosphere in the theatre was palpable with anticipation and excitement as the audience gathered and waited for the show to commence.
It was great to see all the sparkles, sass and dancing shoes back on stage. They performed a matinee and an evening show. I can safely say it was a triumph, with dazzling costumes and dances from students of all ages, guaranteed to make you smile. There were performances in tap, jazz and ballet showcasing the skills, finesse and talents of all the students.

It was clear from the first dance that the amount of work they had put in to this show was immense, which was also reflected by the huge amount of praise and thanks passed between everyone as the curtains closed. There were beaming smiles and confetti all round!

I spoke to Kate Bowers, Principal at Emmerson. Kate has been running the school for about 14 years. She told me: “Emmerson has been part of my life from the age of 3 years old when I started ballet lessons there. At 16 I went to ballet school for 3 years but a nasty injury in my last year meant it was not possible for me to pursue dance as a career. I returned to Emmerson to start teaching and took over the running of the school.”

I asked Kate how long it took to produce the show and what the most challenging part was: “The show takes about 9 months to produce and everything about it is challenging!! From coming up with ideas and choreographing all the dances to making sure everyone has a costume, it’s definitely all consuming. But like we say to our students, nothing worthwhile is ever easy and it's all so worth it in the end.”

Kate describes the atmosphere on show day as “a mixture of excitement and nerves. It is the culmination of everyone’s hard work so it’s a relief when we finally make it to that point! It's always such a fun day, if not slightly chaotic, and everyone is definitely excited to perform after all the months of preparation. The emphasis on show day is to just enjoy every moment, not only on stage but being with your friends and experiencing the whole thing together. We hope that the show provides some lovely memories for our students of their time at Emmerson.”

All the dancers are very dedicated; I asked Kate what she would say to them about their achievements. “To get up on stage and perform in front of an audience is a scary thing for some. The best thing for us at the end of the show is to see how much the dancers have enjoyed themselves and how they always say "can we do it again". Whether it’s a dancer that comes once a week for fun or a more serious member of our competition teams we are proud of each and every one of them."

Kate also tells me: “We were so happy to receive lovely feedback in particular from parents who were experiencing the show for the first time. It's important for us that they see the bigger picture of what their son/daughter is a part of and what it’s possible for them to go on to achieve.”

Congratulations to all the students and staff, who put such a huge effort into this amazing show.

If you’re lucky enough to get the chance to see a future Emmerson show, you will not be disappointed!