Young people enjoy Wicked-themed dance sessions

Young people in Melksham enjoyed a three-day Wicked-themed summer school recently, which ended with a mini awards ceremony with Melksham’s mayor.

The sessions were run by Melksham School of Dance and were themed around the popular musical and film ‘Wicked.’ The three-day event was for children aged three to 14 years old.

Students decorated cakes, made potions and witch hats, choreographed their own dances, watching the Wicked film and even learnt choreography from the film itself.

A spokesperson for the school said, “We are very lucky to have our teacher, ex-professional dancer, Katherine Pellett, who worked with Stephen Schwartz the composer and director of Wicked, teach at the summer school.

“A highlight of the summer school was the attendance of the mayor, Cllr Saffi Rabey, on the final day. The mayor introduced our performance for parents and guardians, watched the show and presented awards to students who won various categories.”

The award winners were: Best Witches Hats, Samuel Williams-Martin, Arabella Brophy and Seren Wills; Best Potion, Georgie May and Jasper Williams-Martin; Best Bookmarks, Ella Lye and Cleo Saunders; Best Creations, Felicity Allen; and Dancer of the Week, Sophie Davis.

The Melksham School of Dance is the longest-running dance school in Melksham, celebrating over 40 years of operation. The spokesperson said, “We are a family-run establishment, founded by Anne Barrett. Her daughter, Jayne, became the principal in 2018, and Jayne’s daughter, Katherine, Anne’s granddaughter and an ex-professional dancer, began teaching in 2020. In 2022, Katherine’s husband, Ryan, also an ex-professional dancer, joined our teaching faculty.

“We offer weekly classes in ballet, tap, jazz, stretch/flex, and ballroom/Latin, along with private classes in various genres, including disco, lyrical, and contemporary. We teach classes from aged three right up to adults.”