When I left the UK to go travelling the Americas last year, a thing I was really sad to leave were my dancers that I trained at the high school I worked at. I was very proud of the dancers I had had the privilege to work with, and it has been a real highlight of my career and my life. I reflected on the achievements of the dance groups I had created a lot while I was away. I felt truly proud that dance had developed in the eight years I was there. I left the dancers, not really knowing what would become of them all, but hoping that my time with them would have made some sort of positive impact on their lives.
On my return, I discovered that some had continued onto A level training in dance and we’re doing well. Likewise, although disjointed, many of the dancers still at school were still dancing in some capacity. I returned remembering how hard I’d worked to get dance to that level the first time around, and had to take a deep breath before plunging back in, to try and cobble something together in a matter of weeks to showcase the first bit of dance since I left to the public. It wasn’t the greatest of my achievements, but it was made so much easier by the children, who helped me pick music, choreograph and rehearse with discipline. We did it together, and two dance groups I choreographed on performed in-house and looked promising.
From there I took one of these groups to a schools network event one evening, where 5 schools around Leeds competed in music, dance and drama against each other for the title of Leeds Got Talent winner. With two acts entered per school, one act from each school was selected to go through to ’round 2′ to perform again.
The group I took had worked hard improving the choreography from the initial, in-house performance. It’s funny how, when it matters, young people can really pull it out the bag. And they really did! They were professional in their manner, they rehearsed at the sides without being asked, they looked after each other and they stepped up their performance quality. Although a competition, it was more a chance to share work that had been created in school between schools, and this was both fun and a good chance to see what other talent there was around Leeds. The group cheered others on, and when it was their time to perform to the audience, they really brought it! Standing at the side I saw them take in all the points I had instructed them with, lifting their heads, dancing as big as possible, being clean, and most of all, entertaining the audience, which they did brilliantly! They were lucky enough to be selected to perform again, and this was a real confidence boost for them and me! Then, they took over and owned what they did.
They huddled backstage and whispered to each other what needed to be improved. They rehearsed the sections they needed to clean again. They sat in silence alone, having a moment of focus, which I never asked them to do. And one dancer suggested they huddle together, and then they did something that has happened only once before in my career. They prayed. They prayed to dance God’s steps. They prayed to enjoy dancing. They prayed to show their best. They never prayed to win, or to be perfect. In that moment I was more proud of them than ever, and I realised then that THAT was the legacy I was most wanting to leave. A legacy of successful pupils, who are also lovely human beings.
They danced their hearts out the second time around, and not everything was perfect, but the energy was high, and they enjoyed it. Then came the wait for the announcement of the winner. As much as it wasn’t a huge competition, I could see what a win would mean for them. I continually reminded them that I was proud of them and that a win or not did not change that. Yet my heart joined there’s as each of the top 3 acts were called out in reverse order, and we all started to feel the excitement.
And the winner is…Dance Legacy! It is an understatement to say they were chuffed! And seeing the smiles on their faces and the level of community spirit that now linked them all made me very happy indeed!
The name of the group I rehearse with now reflects the groups that have gone before them at my school; Uni4m, my first crew, and Sweet Hype. The legacy those performance groups have left is what I work with now, and I’m proud of that. And I’m proud of them. There are pupils I’ve taught now dancing professionally, or about to ‘make it big’. But ultimately it’s the pupils themselves who’ve left that legacy, because they are the role models to the future generations.
What legacy do we all want to leave this Earth with?
I know part of my legacy is to tell people that dance is important to life. It builds confidence and creativity, brings people together, and allows both performer and observer to express themselves freely, inwardly and outwardly, for a fleeting moment. The feeling a moving performance gives someone can stay with them for a lifetime. And knowing I’ve partaken in moments when someone has been moved makes me feel that somehow I’ve done what I was put on the Earth to accomplish. I’m writing my own legacy, and sharing my passion with the generations to come. A dance legacy.
Well done Dance Legacy.
Good on them, they deserve a trophy.
Lou's Ponderings 