We’ve had some great stories, achievements and results over the past few years. You can read some of the best stories below. You can view all of the latest school news on our homepage.
Fantastic Results at the All England Finals 2009
We had some fantastic performances at the All England National Finals held in London last month. Cordelia Braithwaite won her Modern category, and finished 3rd with her Greek Solo. She was also in the Final of ‘Young Dancer of the year’.
Adam Lewis came 3rd with his Modern solo, and came 1st with Leah Fitzgerald with their Contemporary Duet.
Adam, Didi and Emily Hart came third with there Classical Trio.
We would like to say a huge well done to all of you. This is a huge achievement for both the dancers and the school, and shows their professionallism and ability. This is a prestigious event showcasing the very best young dancers from across the whole country.
You can view a full list of winners from the 2009 All England Dance Finals here
Summer School 2008
Our first ever Summer School was held at the end of August 2008. The week was themed around the Smash hit musical (and more recently movie!) – Mamma Mia.
Pupils enjoyed classes in Musical Theatre, Jazz, Lyrical, Tap, Hip Hop!, Commercial, Contemporary, Choreography, Contact and Arts and Crafts.
Guest tutors Richard Reynard, James Jenkins and Steph Jones gave Masterclasses throughout the week.
Richard bought his experience from the West End to Leighton! He is currently starring as Eddie in the smash hit Blood Brothers, at the Phoenix Theatre in London, and has previously appeared in Mamma Mia. We are delighted that Richard has agreed to be patron of our school - you can read more about this here.
James Jenkins and Steph Jones – both former pupils at the school, taught classes in specialist classes in Comtemporary, Commercial and Contact – subjects that the students do not normally learn.
Senior Summer School included a fantastic trip to London’s West End to see Blood Brothers at the Phoenix Theatre in Charing Cross – meeting the cast on stage after the performance!
At the same time the juniors were all taken to the cinema to watch a screening of Mamma Mia. Both these trips were great fun, and were included in the cost of the Summer School.
The week ended with parents and friends coming to watch a performance by all Summer School students. This will be made available free of charge soon to all students who attended.
Lily Hewett and Connor Lambert were awarded scholarships for next years Summer School – Well Done!
Student Report on Summer School by Adam Mitchell:
In a word, the Leanne Hughes Theatre School ‘Summer School’ was brilliant. This was partly because of the range of dance genres we took workshops in, varying from Contemporary to Commercial, from Contact to Hip – Hop, and even a craft session! The differences between the styles, and the amount we had to cover in a single workshop (learning and polishing a short dance number of that style), made each and every one exciting, and enjoyable for both student and instructor.
The other factor that made ‘Summer School’ so fantastic was the people. I am fairly new to the school, and thought it was an extremely helpful way to chat to students you have never spoken to before, and many new friendships were made. I would recommend the LHTS ‘Summer School’ to any student; simply because of the fun they would have! The combination of entertaining people, experiencing new dance styles each day, the showcase at the end of the project, and the amazing trips to see ‘Mamma Mia!’ (if you are a junior), and ‘Blood Brothers’ (if you are a senior), adds up to make what could be the most enjoyable week of the summer! I loved it – it was definitely the only good reason to wake up at 8:45 each morning!
Starpower Dance Competition 2008
A number of pupils attended the StarPower International dance competition in London last weekend. Amongst the whooping and cheering our pupils performed excellently, sweeping the board with nearly every dance entered. You can view the results of the Starpower Competition here
Past Shows and Performances
We hold our main show every two years. In addition we hold an annual prizegiving show and choreography competion. DVD’s of many of our past shows are available to view at the school or to purchase from the school shop.
The Olde Curiosity Shop: July 2009. Our bi-annual winter show became a summer show, with the Olde Curiosity Shop being held over three days in the Summer. We joined the pupils on their quest to restore the Old Curiosity Shop to it’s former journey, leading them on a magical mystery journey on the way. The show was a roaring success, with over 1000 people through the doors throughout the four performances. Our shows have nowhad over 5000 visitors since our inception!
A Time To Dance (7th, 8th, 9th Dec 2007) Our Biggest and best performance to date, with well over 1000 guests over 4 performances as we followed a fantastic journey through time. You can see images from the show on the Flash version of our website here. The show was professionally recorded for us by Big Yellow Feet. Copies are still available priced at £18.99. If you would like to order one please contact us.
The Crystal Heart (9th, 10th, 11th Dec 2005) The Crystal Heart was performed on 9th, 10th and 11th December 2005 at the Raven Theatre in Linslade. Over 1000 people came to watch, over four performances. £354 was raised from the raffle, this has been donated to the Brisih Epilepsy Foundation.
Tsunami Disaster Benefit Concert (30th Jan 2005) At short notice we held a Benefit concert following the Tsunami which devastated South East Asia on boxing day 2004. A fantastic £1410.25 was raised for the Disasters Emergency Commitee, following the schools Tsunami Disaster Benefit Concert on Sunday 30th January 2005. We have also claimed gift aid on your behalf – adding a further 28% to the grand total of £1805.12. This money will make a real difference to rebuild the lives of those caught up in the Tsunami that swept across South East Asia on Boxing Day 2004.
Quest For Colour (19th, 20th December 2003) Quest For Colour was performed on the 19th and 20th December 2003, at the Raven Theatre in Linslade, Leighton Buzzard. Here we share with you some images from the show. Over 750 of you came along to watch the students perform. Over £300 was raised for the stroke rehabilitation unit at Milton Keynes General Hospital.
