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A touch of Winter Dance in the middle of Summer

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Winter Dance
The Walmer School of Dance’s youngest aspiring ballerinas will warm the stage and the audience’s hearts in the mini-ballet “The Snowman”. Getting ready for the big day are, front from left, Megan Hough, Mikaya Brown, Devon Moore, Talya Henderson, Hannah Leyland, and, back from left, Sarah Brown, Alex Goate, Maria Freercks, Charlotte Hutchinson, Elmare Human, and Emma Seaman. Photo: Brad Peens

From sizzling hot jazz and sultry tango to icy snow princesses and duelling swans, the dancers of the Walmer School of Dance will heat up the PE Opera House stage in “The Art of Movement” on Saturday 2 December 2017.

The school’s youngest performers will take to the stage in an array of wintry roles – snow flakes and snowmen, snow fairies and ice princesses – in a junior mini-ballet “The Snowman”, a magical tale of a boy whose snowman comes to life.

The wintry theme weaves through to the seniors in a striking group dance titled “Snow” and the challenging duet “Swan Song” from the movie Black Swan.

The senior dancers will showcase the diverse styles taught at the school, from classical ballet and ballroom, through to dynamic contemporary dance, sizzling jazz and sultry tango, in solo, duet and group pieces.

Promising a feast of movement and music to delight the senses, the show gets off to an energetic start with guest artists African Drumbeat, and continues the energy in a jazzy Chicago number, a hot Tango Ballet fusion-style piece and the dynamic, abstract contemporary Stallions group dance.

Walmer School of Dance owner-teacher Troy Coffey, choreographer and director of The Art of Movement, said the year-end show presented a carefully arranged balance of the classical and the traditional with exciting contemporary pieces.

A ballet teacher for 25 years, Coffey presents classes in ballet, contemporary and jazz at the Walmer School of Dance, which she co-owned with Royal Academy of Dance examiner Dawn de Wit until taking it over in 2012. After studying at the UCT Ballet School, she taught at Herschel in Cape Town and then the Harringay Club in London, where she completed her Royal Academy of Dance teacher’s exam and entered her pupils into the Royal Ballet Associate programme at the renowned Royal Ballet School. She has recently become an accredited modern dance teacher.

Bookings for The Art of Movement are open at Computicket. The show takes place on 2 December at the PE Opera House, at 15.00 and 19.00. Tickets are R120 for adults and R100 for scholars and pensioners.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.