Pupils from three local primary schools and a group of year 9 students from our school took part in dance festival in Bishop Barrington Sports Hall.

The festival on Thurday, February 5th, was a celebration of music and culture. Children from Etherley Lane Primary School dressed up in traditional Thai outfits for a modern rap dance.

Evergreen Primary School performed a freestyle dance to disco music and pupils of St Wilfrid’s RC School, performed a jig to an Irish folk tune.

Nineteen Bishop Barrington Year 8 and Year 9 girls assisted with the festival. They led dance warm-ups and also performed a freestyle dance performance. The Bishop Barrington students included members of a seven-strong dance troupe, Love It Wonders, who recently danced their way to first place at the Dance 4 Ur Future street dance competition at Durham’s Gala Theatre.

Bishop Barrington PE teacher, Martin Broom, said: “The festival went brilliantly. The girls performed really well, made fantastic relationships with the primary school pupils, their behaviour was excellent, and they successfully taught a class from Etherley Lane their dance.”

The following Bishop Barrington students took part in the festival: Bryony Thompson, Elisha Ornsby, Holly Henderson, Amy Woods, Hannah Woods, Nathalie Vickers, Megan Penberthy, Rachel Legge, Laura Atkinson, Grace Clayton, Emma Lambert, Tanya Ornsby, Demi Pull, Elissa Tray, Jade Burrell, Bethany Bredan, Shanice Tremble, Sophie Clark and Gemma Brow.

The girls, who performed the winning street dance routine at the Gala Theatre, were Bethany Bredan, Gemma Brown, Jade Burrell, Elisha Ornsby, Demi Pull, Shanice Tremble and Amy Shaw.

About 40 young dancers took part in the competition was organised by Wear Valley District Council’s arts development team, with the youth inclusion programme, Positive Futures, to encourage youngsters to get involved with the activity.

More than 400 children travelled to the Gala Theatre for the event.