Head's Newsletter 11 February 2022

TIFFIN DANCE COMPANY RICHMOND COLLEGE THEATRE

In the past few weeks, a group of 10 Key Stage 3 individuals including myself have rehearsed a choreographed piece based on the tensions of lockdown that Mrs Brittain and James Aidan Kay from Traceworks Dance, a professional dancer, brought to life. We had the opportunity to represent Tiffin in the Kingston Borough Dance Competition of which we won, and attend a workshop at the Brit School. We have been involved in many ambitious endeavours, but this one was by far the most exhilarating.

We arrived at the Richmond College early in the morning to have a technical rehearsal. At the time of the rehearsal, we did not have the energy of the crowd to boost our adrenaline, but a certain ambiance could be felt in the air and we were already excited. There was a long wait for our performance after this rehearsal, and this was occupied with a lot of fun in which we took turns playing on a Nintendo Switch and indulging ourselves in miscellaneous activities.

We were all in playful moods, and the plight of what we were about to do only seemed to hit us a few minutes before it was our go. We were about to perform for the first time on a stage with a live audience, after so much waiting -- not only during the day, but throughout the whole pandemic and lockdown. We were called down to the ground floor and were all fidgeting around, not of fear but of mass exhilaration. Soon after, it was our go. I clearly remember walking out onto stage, in the pitch darkness. I did not anticipate the crowd, nor the darkness when the spotlights had gone off. Not able to see our formations clearly, a wave of confusion set over me and the rest of the troop, but somehow we found our

formations and once the spotlights had turned on and the music started, our weeks of practice paid off. Each and every one of us put the most energy we could muster into the performance and with the ambiance present in the atmosphere, I enjoyed myself greatly. Then, the spotlights turned off and a huge roar of applause was heard from the crowd. Richmond College Theatre was an experience to remember!