By Betsy B and Arabella B

On Tuesday 14th of April, the Year 8/9 and Year 10 dance groups travelled to Cadogan Hall to compete in the Great Big Dance Off. Everyone had been looking forward to the competition for weeks, especially after spending so much time rehearsing and perfecting every detail of their routines. The atmosphere was really exciting from the moment everyone arrived, and although there were definitely some nerves, everyone was mainly excited to finally perform on such a big stage.

The Year 8/9 dance group performed an energetic and entertaining routine to Beggin by Måneskin, choreographed by Alana from Dance Gallery. The dance was full of powerful movements, a few lifts and flips and lots of character, which made it really fun to watch. The dancers had worked hard on making their performance look clean and confident, while also making sure they showed emotion and personality throughout the routine. The Year 10 dance group performed a much more technical routine to a mashup of If They Could See Me Now by Linda Clifford and She’s All I Wanna Be by Tate McRae. Their dance, choreographed by Maddy, included a difficult lift, flips and synchronised sections that required a lot of trust and teamwork. The routine combined jazz and commercial styles, and the dancers had clearly spent many hours rehearsing to make every section precise and polished.

Both groups began their day by meeting outside Cadogan Hall at 11:00am ahead of their scheduled rehearsal on stage at 11:30. Seeing the theatre for the first time made the competition feel very real, and many dancers said that stepping onto the stage during rehearsals was one of the most exciting moments of the day. The rehearsals went very smoothly, with all of the lifts and flips being completed successfully, which helped everyone feel much more confident for the evening performance. Maddy, Alana and Miss Greenslade were all really proud of how focused and professional both groups were throughout the rehearsal process. After rehearsals, the dancers had a few hours to relax before returning later in the evening at 5:30pm, ready in full costume, hair and makeup. Both groups wore the same costumes that they had previously performed in during the Dance Gallery show in March.

As the evening went on, the excitement backstage continued to build, with both groups supporting each other before going on stage. Everyone helped each other with costumes, practised small sections of the dances and cheered one another on before performing. The audience responded with loud cheers and applause for both routines, and everyone was proud of how well the dances went after months of rehearsals and hard work. Although neither group won, they both placed significantly higher than the previous year with the Year 8/9 group placing as high as 5th. It was an amazing experience and a great opportunity to perform at such a famous venue. The competition also showed the strong friendship and sense of community that has been built within dance at Notting Hill and everyone is looking forward to competing in it next year.