CHILDREN from nine schools showcased the culmination of an eight-week programme of creative and highly enjoyable work led by Dance Woking.

More than 100 students took to the stage the theatre at Jubilee High School in Addlestone, presenting their interpretation of the theme Rhythm Storm.

They were performing in Dance Woking’s annual Young Dance Makers Platform, following on from last year’s theme of Our Precious Planet.

The young dancers, many of them members of after-school clubs, came from Horsell Junior School, Broadmere Primary at Sheerwater, Horsell Village Infant School, Westfield Primary, New Monument Primary at Mayford and Kings Academy at Binfield near Bracknell.

Despite some last-minute changes due to illness, the platform was a massive success said Dance Woking’s artistic director, Sam McCaffrey.

The dancers were encouraged to use their imagination and develop their own creative movement to non-verbal music, giving them more scope and freedom to be original.

Horsell Junior School’s group was inspired by Brazilian samba reggae with their piece (Ex)changing Rhythms, using bright blue and red scarfs to help bring the beat to life.

Broadmere Primary used traditional playtime games to create their piece, Playtime, filling the stage with colourful hand-printed T-shirts.

Horsell Village Infant School used birdsong as the stimulus for Take a Closer Look, with sparkly binoculars props creatively designed from recycled material.

Westfield Primary’s piece, See the Rhythm, Dance the Beat used the rhythm to create a perfect storm effect with colourful shaped material pinned to their T-shirts to create a visual art.

New Monument Primary also focused on weather, dressed for the part in outdoor wear. Their piece called Chase The Storm, saw the children explore different types of weather to recreate a highly original storm-chasing piece.

Three guests groups also took part. Woking College student Karis Hill, stepped in on the day with a solo piece called Aspects of Dance after her group had to withdraw due to illness.

Students from Richmond on Thames College performed The Shirt, an exploration of the roles that women often find themselves in FuzzyLogic, a male dance group from Southampton, closed the platform with Masked, a thought -provoking piece about remembering we are all just humans.

“It was a thrill to see how imaginative, creative and original each group were in how they tackled the stimulus,” said Sam.

“It always amazes me how the pressure of a performance brings out the best in each performer and really focuses the group who give their best on stage in front of family and friends.

“I know there were a lot of pre-show nerves, but watching the performance you wouldn’t have known.”