Latest News and Events

SUMMER 2011 EXAM RESULTS

Congratulations to all pupils who participated in our Summer 2011 exam session - once again pupils from the Leydon-Smith School of Dance achieved excellent results and the school as a whole had a 100% pass rate.  The results are available on the Dance School noticeboard.  

PROFESSIONAL BALLET WORKSHOPS - FRIDAY 28 OCTOBER 2011

 

We are delighted to announce that we have arranged to host Professional Ballet Workshops at Pontefract Squash Club on Friday 28 October 2011.  

 

There will be three workshops in total.  Each one suited to different age/ability levels.  We will be starting with a one hour session for our younger pupils; then a one and a half hour session for the next level and the final workshop for our older/more advanced pupils will be a three hour session.  Each workshop will cover a popular ballet such as The Nutcracker, La Fille Male Gardee, Coppelia or Swan Lake. 

 

Parents will be invited back for the last ten minutes of each session to watch the dances their children have learned and listen to a talk on the back stage life of a professional ballet dancer and will have the opportunity to ask questions.  

 

Our pupils will have first priority for booking places but we are happy for other dancing friends to come along.  Booking forms and further details, including costs, to follow in September!

LIVE SHOW 2012 

Please take note of the following dates for Live Show 2012 - how excited are we?!

 

Rehearsals

Sunday 4th March

Sunday 11th March

Sunday 18th March (full dress rehearsal) - sorry also Mothers' Day!

 

Show Dates

Monday 19th March

Tuesday 20th March

Wednesday 21st March

Thursday 22nd March

Friday 23rd March

Saturday 24th March (afternoon and evening performances)

 

ZUMBA CLASSES AT THE SQUASH CLUB

Daytime and evening Zumba sessions are now on offer at Pontefract Squash Club.

Please check our click here to see our class timetable.

Cheerleaders Perform at Featherstone Rovers X-Factor Concert

Our Senior Cheerleaders gave an excellent performance at the Featherstone Rovers, Big Fellas Stadium on Saturday 14th August 2010. The girls performed alongside the X-factor stars in the X-Factor Concert. X-Factor stars included Chico (pictured with the girls below). Danyl Johnson, Same difference, Ruth Lorenzo, Journey South, Lloyd Daniels and Re-Connected. The girls performed two of their routines and the event was a great success. The crowd really enjoyed the girls' performance.  To see more photos please click here.

2010 Dance Summer School

The Summer School for 2010 was held from 16th to 19th August.

Pupils included members of the Dancing School as well as children who were new to the school or who had never been involved in this type of activity.

 

The children attended for four full days and were engaged in a range of activities involving dancing, singing, acting, along with dance and drama games.  The pupils learnt a range of new things, including cheerleading dances, street dance routines and musical theatre songs. The end of the week culminated in an enjoyable performance for parents/family/friends.  This was then followed by a presentation of awards and certificates. Each pupil enjoyed the summer school and made new friends. The Summer School 2010, was an overall success and we hope to continue it in future years.  Well done to everyone involved.  Please click here to see more photos from our 2010 Summer School.


Adult Tappers enjoy a post-exam drink Adult Tappers enjoy a post-exam drink

Summer 2010 Exam Session

Congratulations to all dancers who took IDTA exams on the 26th June and 11th July.  Excellent results were achieved, yet again, with the majority of pupils gaining Honours or Highly Commended in their exams.  

 

In her report to the Principal the external IDTA Examiner said "Thank you for a most enjoyable session with well-groomed and very well-rehearsed pupils." All exam results are displayed on the school noticeboard - well done to our highest achieving pupils who are as follows:

 

Ballet

Grade 1 - Katelyn Taylor - 87%

Grade 2 - Freya Marks & Bethany Kaye - 85%

Grade 3 - Pippa Nottingham - 87%

Grade 5 - Daniel Williams - 89%

Tap

Primary - Sophie Hawkins - 83%

Grade 1 - Katelyn Taylor - 87%

Grade 4 - Megan Hoyle & Zoe Ward - 83%

Modern Jazz

Bronze Award - Harriet Dee - 87%

Adult Tap

Star Award 5 - Helen Adamson, Lynda Heptinstall & Tracey Eastwood- 87%

Musical Theatre

All pupils achieved Honours/Highly Commended

Cheerleading

All pupils achieved Honours/Highly Commended

 

2010 Summer School for Children

A Summer School will be taking place from Monday 16th August to Thursday 19th August (11.00am to 3pm). Sessions will consist of fun dance classes in a mix of styles including cheerleading, street, singing and drama. Each day there will be fun energetic warm-up routines, party games and different activities throughout the day. In classes we will be working towards a final performance, showing the children's hard work, which will take place at the Squash Club on the last day at 2pm. This will be followed by a presentation of awards and certificates.


The cost of the course is £40 (payable on the first session). Children will need to bring a packed lunch each day. If your child is interested in taking part please see your class teacher to book your child's place. 

For more information telephone Kath Smith on 07789 065890

 

Dancers to Perform at the European Squash Championships

Pupils from our Cabaret Class will be performing at the opening ceremony of the European Squash Championships in September 2010, which are to be hosted by Pontefract Squash and Leisure Club.  

 

This is a very prestigious tournament and we are delighted to be invited to welcome visitors from all over Europe.  

 

Cabaret Class Performances

After our annual 'Cabaret Evening' performance at the end of February 2010, our dancers have been invited to perform at a variety of events including the Conservative Club Annual Dinner, Magistrates Annual Dinner, Carleton Grange Garden Party, Altofts and Normanton Brass Band Charity Event as well as a number of private functions (such as birthdays, anniversaries, etc).  Well done everyone involved!

Presentation Evening

Thank you to everyone who attended the recent presentation evening and disco. Special awards were given to Olivia Logan for the highest mark in her tap exam (Primary Tap) and to Emily Pridham for the highest mark in her ballet exam. A special thank you to the girls from the Cabaret Class who were fantastic in entertaining our audience.

  

Facebook Group

If you are a Facebook user then why not join our new Facebook Group (Leydon-Smith School of Theatre Dance)? The Facebook group is a great place to share our news, ideas, photos, discussions, etc. There are a number of great photos that members have uploaded already including some of the recent Presentation Evening and our new hoodies! In terms of e-safety, membership of the Facebook Group is carefully monitored to include only dance school members/friends. Joining the group does not give other group members access to your personal profile available to your ‘friends’. Remember, never accept anyone as a ‘friend’ on Facebook unless you know them. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any concerns.