Beyond the stage, Dance
Venue: PJ’s
Review
By Konke Welaphi
The smiles that beamed over the girls’ faces when the crowd gave them a standing ovation summed up the emotions that the dancers poured onto that stage. From the beginning of the show, with the dancers’ voices as the sound, each describing what their love of dance meant to them, they did what they knew best. What was particularly striking was how they expressed emotion on their faces and not just through their bodies. The Diocesan School for Girls breeds pure and elegant talent in their dance studio.

The different styles they performed made the audience wonder what was coming next, with each performance being better than the last. The dancers made sure to keep us on the edge of our seats, each of them bringing significant energy to the show. Our eyes were fixed on the stage, keen to see every dancer and how they moved. From group dancing to solos, every emotion portrayed in each dance was deeply felt in the atmosphere.
Catherine Frost answered questions on behalf of the producers, explaining what their message was behind the name Beyond the Stage: “The story that we are trying to convey through the show is the emotional journey of a dancer. This is true of any dancer, and so the emotion that we want the audience to feel is a sense of connectivity to the show.”

“We want them to be able to relate to that journey, whether or not their individual journey may have ended at a certain point. We want the audience to feel as though they are a part of the story, as though they are the dancer on stage and in class going through each stage with the performers,” Frost said.
The cast did far more than just introduce us to their world of dance; they were able to perform it to such an extent that whoever was in the audience could either imagine themselves being a dancer or develop a whole new love and respect for the world of dance. Either way, for their first time at the National Arts Festival, they certainly left a strong impression.