The Bella Dance Academy will travel through the history of rock and roll as over 300 dancers will perform in the school's year end recital this weekend.
The dancers, rangingin age from two to 18 will perform in two different shows, The Itty Bitty Rock and Rollers which will showcases dancers aged two to six and The history of Rock and Roll, featuring dancers aged seven to 18.
“You're going to get more of a story with our senior show, they can tell more of a story because they are older,” said Phoenix Smith, studio director at the academy. “The juniors they get out on stage and they get to do their dance and that's pretty much it.”
The children will be dancing chronologically through rock and roll history that begins in the '50s and ends with them performing to top hits of the '90s, including everybody's acoustic sing along Wonderwall by British band Oasis.
“It's a good opportunity for the kids to learn about their parents age of music,” said Smith. “Rather than their just dancing to pop music that they are used to, they would have to learn the rhythym of the new songs.”
In addition to Oasis, the dancers will be dancing to favourite artists of the older crowd, ranging from Elvis Presley to Queen to The Beatles.
Smith says the dances will take from a number of themes of those generations.
“For example for Bohemian Rhapsody, we have a beautiful choreography, that draws on that time and draws on the original music video,” said Smith.
The seniors will open the weekend with a performance on Friday before the juniors performance twice on Sunday. The seniors will then take the stage two more times on Sunday.
Those Sunday performances will also be the last for the graduating class at Bella as a number of dancers will be heading off to post-secondary school in the fall.