Perhaps one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, Romeo and Juliet takes you on a journey of rivalry, love, murder and sacrifice – all the best ingredients for a dance show! Using an amalgamation of dance styles, dancers from Remove (Year 7) to Upper Sixth (Year 13) have rehearsed tirelessly since the beginning of Michaelmas term to bring this adaptation to life.
– Mrs Cadle (Head of Extra-Curricular Dance)
We caught up with Sage of Upper Fifth (Year 11) who played Romeo to hear about her experience in the show.
Sage / Romeo
Performing with the Dance Department at Downe has always been an insightful and exhilarating experience. This time, we were incredibly fortunate to have had the privilege of working with a revolving stage, and although it presented challenges at times, it provided a valuable learning opportunity.
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a romantic tragedy familiar to most, and being given such an iconic role to perform will undoubtedly remain one of the highlights of my dance journey during my time here.
For Izzy in Upper Sixth (Year 13) who took on the role of Juliet, this show marks her final dance show at Downe.
Izzy / Juliet
Being able to put on a production as iconic as Romeo and Juliet was an incredible process, and so playing Juliet in my final year, was simply an added highlight. The role of Juliet has been performed in so many dance adaptations across the globe, at professional level and also in schools, and being able to add my name to that list is really nice to reflect on.
The rehearsal process, whilst certainly tiring at times, was an exciting one! For this production, the Dance Company and Academy danced alongside each other, meaning that rehearsals were filled with lots of enthusiasm, and hard work. The Sunday rehearsal before the final show, which was when we were first able to use the revolve, was a long day but everybody brought the motivation and enthusiasm to keep each other going, which was certainly key in producing such an amazing show.
Within the show itself there were lots of wonderful moments, but my personal favourite must be the opening duet between Romeo and Juliet. The duet introduces the two characters to the audience and being able to perform to such an upbeat song like Young Hearts Run Free by Candi Staton whilst also dancing on the revolve is something that I will never forget. The revolve itself, whilst daunting, was an extremely exciting piece of equipment for us to be able to use. I have been so lucky over my 7 years at Downe to perform with a variety of sets – but I must say that the set for Romeo and Juliet, not only the revolve but also the balconies, has certainly been my favourite as it is unlike anything else I have used before.
The show was amazing to perform in, and that is partly down to having such a fantastic audience on both nights. The performance was, despite the tragic story, a very upbeat and happy one, for the majority of the show. The audience certainly got on board with that, and girls, teachers and parents alike were clapping along through the party scenes, encouraging all of us on stage to perform to our best ability. A huge thanks has to go to Mrs Cadle, Miss Smith and Miss Cowgill for all their hard work on the show, and also to the incredible AV team, without whom, we would not have had such a fantastic set, including the revolve and balconies, but also such wonderful lighting!
My last 7 years at Downe have been wonderful, and the Drama and Dance department have been key to that. Every year I have been given the opportunity to perform in some way, and I have loved every second of it. I think it is so important for people between the ages of 11-18 to have something to focus on that is not academic work, and whilst Upper Sixth can be a busy and stressful time, having the opportunity to forget about it all whilst being in dance rehearsals, and performing, has aided me so much in remembering to take a break and continue enjoying the things that I love most. Dance will hold a special place in my heart forever, as it has done for so many years already, and that is without a doubt, due to the incredible Dance Department at Downe, who have supported me in so many ways over my 7 years here.
To view our full photo album of the performance, click the image below.
