Bede’s dancers don their ballet shoes for workshops with national stars

Students at Bede’s Legat Dance Academy were treated to top-tier tuition at a series of masterclasses led by professional dancers Sarah Wildor and Alistair Postlewaite.
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The lessons focused on a variety of dance skills and motifs with one led by Sarah Wildor, who, amongst other roles, played the lead in a 1997 production of Cinderella in London and Los Angeles. She took the students through George Balanchine’s ‘Symphony in C’, a 1947 piece which focuses on basic motifs and patterns for use in the corps de ballet.

The workshop was a hit with students from the Upper Dicker school, who relished the chance to work with such an advanced performer.

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Phoebe Tucker, a dancer in the schools Lower Sixth, said: “Sarah’s workshop was fantastic! She taught in a very calm, gentle way, but the exercises were fast paced and you had to pick them up quickly.”

Sarah’s class was followed by a morning workshop with Alistair Postlewait, who is most famous for reaching the semi-finals of the BBC’s So You Think You Can Dance in 2009.

He was joined by Matthew Borne, another professional dancer with experience in dance companies up and down the country. Alongside the masterclass, Alistair will be working with the Bede’s students over the next three weeks, creating an original piece of dance for the Bede’s Legat Academy showcase this summer.

Emma Manes, who teaches dance at Bede’s said: “The Bede’s legat students found working with Alistair incredibly enjoyable, as he demonstrated the exercises with incredible passion and enthusiasm.”