On Friday 21 April, 130 young dancers from the Wandsworth area came together in a youth dance showcase at Burntwood School.

The evening was one of 12 Spring Sharings which take place in different boroughs in London and Essex across April and May. Spring Sharings are an annual series of regional performance events from Step into Dance, a partnership project between the Royal Academy of Dance and the Jack Petchey Foundation.

These performances celebrate the hard work of students aged 11 to 18 from both mainstream and SEN schools and gives these young dancers the opportunity to share what they've been working on with friends and family.

Performances were mentored by Sue Goodman, Step into Dance Artistic and Programme Director, who said of the performances, “The Spring Sharings have made me appreciate on how many levels our programme works – from raw beginners to special needs to pupil referral units to veterans! All share their work, support each other, grow in confidence and create further performance opportunities”.

By taking part in the Spring Sharings, schools can also be considered to take part in Step LIVE! 2017. Step LIVE! is the annual showcase by Step into Dance, which this year takes place at Southbank Centre on Monday 17 July. Step LIVE! is an all-day festival of free youth performances, workshops, street dance battles and an evening show in the Royal Festival Hall.

List of participating schools at the Wandsworth Spring Sharings:
• Garratt Park School
• Burntwood School
• Dunraven School
• Ricards Lodge High School
• Evelyn Grace Academy
• Cricket Green School
• St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for Girls

Article supplied by Florent Gonthier