A dance school in Leicestershire has put on their first show since 2019 after surviving an ownership change and financial issues.
Dance Sensation in Groby, Leicester, took to the stage to put on their show ‘The Show Must Go On’ under new owners on Saturday as they aim to get the school back to its best.
Crowds made their way to the Sue Townsend Theatre in Leicester’s city centre to watch the performance created and promoted by young principals Caitlin Taylor and Shannon Knight.
Knight, 23, and Taylor, 22, took over the school after the previous owners left at short notice during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving them without funding and any plans to move forward. This led to a loss of pupils and staff, with their future thrown into huge doubt.
But after collaborating with local businesses and putting in plenty of hard work to keep the company afloat, they managed to build the school back to a sustainable level.
“It had been challenging at times and we have had many hurdles to cross on our short journey as principals,” Taylor said. “The show was definitely needed by all and it was fun, albeit stressful, to organise.
“We have had local businesses reach out to support us as well as other dance schools wanting to create links to build up both schools. Myself and Shannon were extremely emotional as it was our first show in charge and the first returning show since the difficult changes.”
Saturday’s performance was seen as a landmark for the school and its title was appropriate. Months of hard work to get through difficult circumstances led to an emotional evening and the pupils were able to show how much it meant to them to keep their school alive.
Taylor continued: “We’re full of emotion. Everyone is incredibly pleased with how the show went. All pupils, teachers and chaperones put so much time and effort into the show and the feedback we received was overwhelming.
“We are now hoping to use this to grow the dance school and create more incredible opportunities for our students.”
Dance Sensation’s return is an example to many of how to overcome even the hardest of challenges. After a successful evening, the focus now turns to collaborating with more companies to help continue their funding to put on more events in the future.
