Dance stars of the future perform in Exeter

Dance students from a leading performing arts school, world famous for producing international dance stars, will be showcasing an exciting programme of dance during a UK tour that visits Northcott Theatre in Exeter this spring.

The Encore Dance Company, which features dance students who are just about to graduate from the third year of their sixth form at the prestigious Tring Park School for the Performing Arts in Hertfordshire, will be showcasing a variety of genres of dance including classical ballet, jazz, contemporary, commercial dance and more during their performance at the Northcott Theatre on 17 April at 7.30pm.

Under the direction of Antony Dowson, who is a former principal at the Royal Ballet and has danced with Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph Nureyev, the 17-strong cast of the Encore Dance Company will be performing a range of diverse dance works.

These include: Elite Syncopations choreographed by leading British choreographer, Sir Kenneth Macmillan, who was artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London between 1970 and 1977, with the music of Scott Joplin; an extract from the ballet Traces by Cathy Marston (former director of the Bern Ballet in Switzerland); and dance pieces from other notable choreographers including Egor Menshikov, Christian Alozie (Flawless), Jodie Blemings and Terry Wright.

Talking about the tour that previews at the Markova Theatre at Tring Park School on 14 April before embarking on its UK tour, Antony said: “The Tring Park dance students are exceptionally hard-working, talented dancers and have been preparing for this tour for six months. 

“The Encore Dance Company is in its fifth year, and gives Tring Park students their first experience of what life is like in a touring dance company before they go on to pursue their career in dance.

“The pieces that the students will be performing showcase their extraordinary and varied talents as dancers, and are a great opportunity for audiences in Preston to see the future stars of the dance world.”

The show at the Northcott Theatre is the second performance in the 10-date tour that travels from the south to the north of England.

Tring Park School for the Performing Arts has its roots in dance and is world famous for its dance credentials, having produced many a professional dance star and choreographer.

Its young dance students perform in West End ballet productions with the English National Ballet at the London Coliseum.

Tring Park School boasts a glittering alumni, which includes: director and choreographer Drew McOnie, who won the 2016 Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer for his work on In the Heights and he has been nominated for the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer for Jesus Christ Superstar.

International stars such as Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) started their training on the dance course at Tring Park.

Daisy attended Tring Park from the age of 11 to 19. Other famous students include Lily James (Disney’s Cinderella, Downton Abbey and War and Peace), Jessica Brown-Findlay (Downton Abbey).