On Wednesday 19th March, 31 dancers from years 5-8 travelled to Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury to perform in ‘Gotta Dance’ alongside other schools and performing arts companies from the local area. It was a chance for the dancers to perform in a professional regional theatre to a 650 strong audience and experience a ‘show day’ tech rehearsal in a professional venue.
The juniors performed their circus themed routine to ‘Greatest Show’ from ‘The Greatest Showman’ with great gusto, featuring a ringmaster, hula-hooper extraordinaire and even a lion!
The seniors performed their own creation to a custom mix of popular Tik Tok songs to explore the connection that social media can bring and the idea that it can also isolate and prevent real human connection. The seniors coped well, working with props and performing a routine dependent on specific formations in a new space.
The sold out show made for a fantastically supportive audience (including many Packwood parents, siblings and staff) who cheered and even sang along. Having performed in the first half of the show, Team Packwood were then able to watch the second half of the show and learned much from seeing other routines being performed. Staff from the events company commented on the friendliness and professionalism of Packwood pupils and Miss Dunn and Miss Gildam-Clark are delighted that the children were as passionate in their support of others as they were about their own performances. Congratulations to all the performers who should be very proud of themselves and a thank you to all the families and staff who made the event possible.
Below, are some reflections from pupils on their ‘Gotta Dance’ experience:
“It was such a fun experience. When we got to the real thing, I was a little bit nervous but as soon as I got on the stage, I had the best time.”
“We learned through the dance that the internet could be dangerous for us. The masks showed that some people on the internet say they are one person but they are actually someone else. This was a new experience that you wouldn’t get in all schools so we are really grateful to have the opportunity to learn more.”
“We learned how to be in a group and cooperate with each other and help others.”
“We were inspired by other people’s work in different styles of dance such as ballet, jazz and hip hop.”
Bring on ‘Gotta Dance’ 2026!
