Miss Emma, Miss Dominique and the Braidwood Dance Studio delighted packed-out audiences over the weekend with their superb end of year show, “Boogie Wonderland.” Over 100 students performed in the shows and their ages ranged from 3 to 16. With so much talent under one roof it was hard not to be carried off by the flurry of the White Rabbit, down the rabbit hole, to the colourful and surreal world of the characters in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
There were strong performances by all the lead dancers in the parts of the Cheshire Cat, by Lyndsey Mendham, the Queen of Hearts by Miah Gunderson, the White Rabbit by Laynee Saunders, Big Alice, by Maddi Nelson and the Mad Hatter by Claire Pettit. There were also wonderful performances by Annaleis Goode as Mini Alice, Bonnie Park and Hattie Cram as Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, Brodie Parsons as the March Hare and Annebel Clarke as the Door Mouse.
Miss Emma was very proud of her students and was almost teary at the end of the last show as she received applause and appreciation from the audience and her students. Miss Emma is a much loved member of the community and the number of children involved in the Braidwood Dance Studio is a testimony to her popularity and how much she is adored by her students.
Miss Emma is very passionate and committed to each and every one of her students. She is not only their teacher, she is their friend, a wonderful mentor and role model. Congratulations to Miss Emma for her vision of this adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, the stage setting, the range and depth of beautiful costumes that continued to impress as the show went on and the nostalgic and funky selection of music which had the audiences ready to dance in the aisles.
Congratulations also to each and every performer, no matter how big or small, both boys and girls, as they evolved through hair and make-up into their costumes to become their character(s) in the show and performed with such focus and enthusiasm.
The hard work that had taken place behind the scenes in the lead up to the show by parents and helpers was evident the with the spectacular stage props and settings. Particular mention goes to Rebecca Bigg and Heidi Horwood for their hours of work on the intricate and outstanding costumes and accessories. Local artist, Kate Stevens, painted a Wonderland backdrop that you could get lost in. The teams of parents who assisted during the weekend with the preparation of the performances did a superb job of getting the 100 plus performers through hair, make-up, costuming and directing them on and off the stage at the right times. It was a mammoth task!
The groups of beautiful and talented dancers were delightful as they filled the stage with big smiles and irrepressible joy. There was a wonderful combination of dance styles from ballet, tap, and jazz hip hop with excellent choreography throughout the show. Through the direction and assistance of Donna Hazell there were also some impressive acrobatics and gymnastics sequences in some of the routines. James Royds was the master of lighting and sound and did a brilliant job of turning the National Theatre into a Boogie Wonderland!
Well done Miss Emma, Miss Dominique and the Braidwood Dance Studio for taking us on an enchanting journey to a Boogie