Students from Spire Junior to Choreograph Mass Dance Routine!
Students from Spire Junior to Choreograph Mass Dance Routine!
Students from Spire Junior School in Chesterfield have been getting their groove on this week as they help to create a group dance for the Chesterfield Children’s Festival!
Children in year six spent the day with professional dancers Karla Jones and Jack Stephenson, to help them choreograph Everybody Dance, Chesterfield’s biggest dance routine, which will be performed by hundreds of people at Queen’s Park this summer.
The students explored different types of dance before learning how to create a routine and make up their own moves. The professionals were so impressed with the children’s creativity and ideas that they will be returning to the school to develop the dance with the students next month.
The finished routine, inspired by the children, will be unveiled in the summer and people of ages will be invited to learn it and take part in a mass dance along on Saturday 26th July as part of the Chesterfield Children’s Festival. Organisers, Junction Arts launched Everybody Dance last year but are hoping that it will be bigger and better in 2025.
Jemma Burton, Project Manager at Junction Arts said, ‘Everybody Dance was a big success last year, we had children, parents and grandparents joining in, it was such a feel-good activity that we wanted to do it again! This year, we have invited young people to co-create the dance with us, developing the moves and having a say in how the dance comes together.
‘The students have been brilliant, they have so much energy and enthusiasm for dance! Karla will return to Spire Junior to finesse the dance with the students; it will then be launched online and on our social media channels so that people can start to learn it and practice it at home. We are also inviting dance schools in Chesterfield to join us and support the mass dance along.
‘The routine will be fun but simple so that everyone can join in, no matter what age or ability! There will be a seated version, and we will have some practice sessions on the day – so you can bring all your friends! Dancing together makes people feel good, and we want to bring that to the festival, giving people the opportunity to be part of something big!”
Feedback from the students: ‘No matter how good you are or what skills you have, it gave you a chance to have a go and learn the moves.’
‘I liked learning the breakdancing and performing my power move!’
‘I enjoyed the contemporary dance, where I learned to do cartwheels and handstands.’
‘It was a great day, very energetic and good for confidence building.’
The Chesterfield Children’s Festival is a free two-day festival organised by local arts charity, Junction Arts. It celebrates childhood, imagination and play with music, theatre, storytelling, games, art workshops and dance. This year it will take place on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th July, from 10am until 4pm on both days. It’s suitable for children of all ages, no booking is required, you can just turn up.
A full programme will be released in June, for more information visit: junctionarts.org or follow @junctionartsuk on social media.