Students from the North East enjoyed the bright lights of the London stage when they had the opportunity to perform alongside Britain’s oldest dance company.

Dame Allan’s was the only school from the North of England to qualify for the experience of a lifetime after its dance company Jeune made it through to the final performance of a newly-launched national dance choreography challenge, ‘Rambert Elements’. 

The world-renowned dance company Rambert introduced ‘Rambert Elements’ in  2016, the programme aims to raise the profile of choreography and performance in secondary schools and colleges across the UK.

Jeune, a group of 11 girls in Years 8 and 9, was selected to perform at the national showcase at the Peacock Theatre in London after a rigorous selection process involving six regional performances. 36 groups took park in the regional heats, which took place earlier in the year, with only six being invited to London.

The final showcase was a real treat for the dancers as they were accompanied by the Rambert orchestra.

Each group performed the piece they had choreographed for the heats, where they were required to choreograph their own work, using music, themes and creative tasks given to them by celebrated choreographers, including Aletta Collins who provided Jeune with their materials. Members of the Dame Allan’s company came up with the idea of using picture frames in their piece which was incredibly striking on stage. 

Mrs Claire Turnbull, Head of Dance at Dame Allan’s said: ‘I am thrilled for all of the girls in the company. They worked incredibly hard on their choreography and performance skills and to see them on the London stage was fantastic. We put on shows every year, but this was a completely different experience for them and I know they will be eager to take part in Rambert Elements again next year!’