An evening of dance and music organised by a local dance teacher raised over £1000 for Lisa’s Fund. The show, Step Forward, saw the most local dance schools and acts perform together under one roof in to over 120 guests, putting any rivalry to bed, in order to raise money for Lisa’s Fund in aid of The Arthur Rank Hospice.
The evening consisted of an array of dance styles from hip hop to ballet, tap to belly dancing. Schools involved included The Feathers School of Dance, Octagon Studios and Suspects Cru from Funk It Up. As well as performances from Evie Hart, now part of the National Youth Dance Company and recently formed, 4th Dimension, a dance troupe for ex-dancers.
One performer who wowed the crowd was reptile handler and former zoo keeper, Grace Dickinson from Oakington, who took to the stage as ‘Good Gracious! Snake Charming Goddess’. With her 10 foot long snake, Misha, wrapped around her she mesmerised the crowd with a performance inspired by Eastern dance styles.
Sara Ford, a local dance teacher, who organised Step Forward, commented on the unbelievable success of the evening; “The support received was amazing, from the guests to the acts and everyone else who was involved. There was a great atmosphere on the night, an understanding of what the show was really all about – bringing together the amazing talent we have locally and celebrating it, all for a great cause.”
Hosted at The Brook in Soham, there was not a dry seat in the house as guests poured in to be entertained by music from Molly & Charlie, two young performers from Soham who were also talent spotted at the event. Later in the show Daryl Doblados and Jed Drake took to the stage to serenade the audience with an acoustic set.
Robert Barnes, the driving force behind Lisa’s Fund, commented; “It was so nice to have something so different raising money for the fund. The show was executed so professionally and ran so smoothly, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed having Sara and all the dancers on board.”
The total money raised on the night stands at £1019.20 which is the second largest amount raised by an evening event for Lisa’s Fund. Following the success of the show Robert, The Brook and all of the acts are hoping it will become an annual event, Sara commented, “I would love to make Step Forward an annual event and am already looking into how to make the next one bigger and better! Watch this space!”
If you are a local dancer or performer and would like to get involved with Step Forward in the future please email sfordie@live.co.uk.
