Theatretrain at the Royal Albert Hall

Theatretrain’s Sunday performance at the Royal Albert Hall would have set the toes of any theatre or music enthusiast tapping. With approximately 1400 eager children, from as far a field as Isle of Wight, Nottingham and even Slovenia, the stage was filled with an abundance of colour, movement, energy and most of all fun!

Entitled I Don’t Feel Like Dancing this was the fourth such production to be staged by Theatretrain at the Royal Albert, and the youth theatre organisation’s biggest to date.

The show was centred on the work of Rudolf Laban, the celebrated dance artist, choreographer and theorist. Laban was the first person to develop the idea of community dance, and his belief was that dance should be made available to everyone, not just an elite few. In keeping with this idea director Kevin Dowsett brought together 24 Theatretrain branches from around the country, providing youngsters of all abilities the opportunity to perform on a world-class stage.

All the numbers in the show were based on Laban’s eight ‘action efforts’ of human movement; pressing, slashing, floating, dabbing, wringing, thrusting, gliding and flicking.

Jean Newlove was the special guest, who had worked with Laban himself and who runs the Jean Newlove Centre for Laban Studies.

The show opened to Scissor Sisters, with children of all ages jiving, singing and ‘dancing to the music’. With the entire stage filled in a profusion of performers, it was sometimes difficult to choose who or where to watch next. But what stuck out more than the sequins and feathers was the tremendous amount of fun, energy and confidence the kids exuded on stage, highlighting the positive influence that theatre can have in the lives of young people.

With a live orchestral accompaniment led by the vivacious and gold lame-suited conductor Robert Hyman, and a choir of around 700 colourfully clad kids, the auditorium had a carnival-like theme, with a very enthusiastic audience of predominantly mums and dads. There were some big voices from some small children, and the musical capabilities of the singers was superb.

Popular music from the likes of Snow Patrol and Scissor sisters, from Bohemian Rhapsody, Zorba the Greek, Thriller and River Dance ensured that there was something to suit the tastes of all members of the audience, young and old.

With approximately 1400 performers, 22 members of the orchestra and 34 dances in total, the mere coming together of all involved was a monumental task. But to pull it off with such sparkle shows the passion of all those involved in Theatretrain itself, both on and off the stage.