Year 5 Dance Festival
Shrewsbury High School host a Year 5 Dance Festival which is led by our Dance Specialist teacher who works with our junior and senior girls throughout the year across a variety of dance genres from contemporary to ballet and tap. The annual Winter Dance production at Theatre Severn has become a highly anticipated date on the school events calendar for girls from year 1-13.
It is a fantastic opportunity for pupils to improve their dance skills and to collaborate with other school pupils in the area, all with a shared love of dance. The day will consist of workshops followed by a mini performance at the end of the day.
We are able to welcome five schools with 14 students each, and as it is a celebration of dance, it is ideally suited to those students in year 5 who are passionate about dancing already or who would really like to get involved and try their hand at a variety of dance styles for a day.
Aims
To provide an opportunity for pupils to improve their dance skills and to collaborate with other school pupils in the area, all with a shared love of dance.
To provide Year 5 pupils who are passionate about dancing to try their hand at a variety of dance styles with an opportunity for performance
The event is oversubscribed and very popular with our local schools.
Background
Our Annual Winter Dance Production at our local Theatre is hugely successful and popular. The feedback from within our local community asked for the opportunity for children at local schools to be able to access the expertise and facilities available at SHS.
Our first Festival took place in 2023 and involved 5 local schools (boys and girls) who put together incredible performances during the day.
Resources
The Festival takes place on the School site in our performance spaces culminating in the Showcase in our New Hall.
The day will includes lunch for all participants and we provide minibus transport to and from the schools for up to 14 students with a member of staff if needed.
The team of 5 staff is lead by the Head of Dance and includes staff who teach Dance either in the Junior School or in a School Club.
The event is free to all schools taking part and funded by our Outreach Programme.
Impact
The event is very popular and over subscribed.
Feedback shows that children really enjoy the experience and some choose to take up Dance lessons after the event.
Pupil Involvement
The four schools which take part (in addition to our own girls) come from local state primary schools.
All pupils are in Year 5 and a mixture of boys and girls - we only ask that they have an interest in dance.
Frequency
The Festival happens once a year in the Summer Term and is planned to continue indefinitely due to its popularity.