The much-anticipated event was the culmination of many weeks of dedication and passion from the dancers and members of the Drama and Dance Faculty to create a beautiful adaptation of the much-loved story of Cinderella. 

The performance of Cinderella showcased the talents of pupils across all ages of Downe House and included the auditioned Downe House Dance Company, the Dance Academies and those girls who take extra-curricular dance lessons every week. From an explosion of Contemporary and Street Dance group numbers to intimate ballet performances and Jazz acts, all set to innovative musical choices, the show also featured captivating puppetry to portray the scene of the fairy godmother preparing Cinderella for the royal ball. The diversity of performances knitted together the heart-warming traditional fairy tale of Cinderella finding her true love and escaping the confines of her evil stepsisters.

Pupils from Hermitage and Beedon primary schools made their way to the Cold Ash campus on Thursday morning (15th December) for a this very special performance. In the week before the performance, our Head of Extra-Curricular Dance, Miss Olivia Ward, was enthusiastically welcomed into the primary schools to run dance workshops based on the dances they would later see. It was a wonderful way to introduce the young girls and boys to such a contemporary portrayal of the much-loved story of Cinderella – and the pupils made the most of the time they had with Miss Ward, and thoroughly enjoyed the performance on the day.

Our thanks go to the staff at Hermitage and Beedon Primary Schools for making it possible for the children to participate, and of course to all the pupils; it was a pleasure to have them visit the School’s campus in Cold Ash – they were excellent ambassadors for their schools and it was wonderful to see their enjoyment and to hear them talking excitedly about the scenes with the dances they themselves had worked on in their workshops.