The Millennium Report

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas at Wellington without the annual Dance Show, and this year’s production, The Millennium Report, sparkled and shone with glitz and skill. Featuring twenty separate pieces (three conceived solely by pupils) and over a hundred dancers, The Millennium Report followed the major news stories from the last twenty years, choreographing them in an eclectic mix of genres, from Tap to Street, from Ballet to Contemporary.

At times serious and profound, at others witty and fun, the show challenged dancers and audience alike as it took us on a journey that was always stylish and sassy – but also dangerous and thrilling. Effortlessly narrated by newscasters Lizzie V and Cyrano de C-T, twenty years were jam-packed into two hours of high energy routines, taking in the grisly events of Soham; the magic of Hogwarts; the most famous couch in Manhattan and even Banksy-style urban wastelands, before ending up on the Strictly set in a high energy number that allowed our Sixth Formers to bring the evening to a rousing climax.

Many congratulations to all the performers, and in particular to Caroline Kenworthy and Clare Cooke whose inspirational direction masterminded the show, and who ensured that the whole range of Wellington dance was on show. Few schools could so confidently platform all ages from Third Form to Sixth, incorporating not only both academic and co-curricular dancers, but also boys and girls – so if Dance really is ‘the hidden language of the soul’ then it is a language that Wellington effortlessly commands. While all the performances were brilliant, it would be wrong not to highlight Ella H-B’s chilling Arachnid, Will S and Alex M’s Aftermath, and the high-altitude skill and daring of Joely C and Jemima B. Congratulations too to the Eagle House dancers who cast such a convincing spell, and final thanks to Belle B, Honor C, Celeste K, Lottie L, Selina L and Anna M, our Sixth Form dancers who made such a magnificent contribution, not only to this show, but to Wellington Dance over the years. As the pre-show publicity claimed, it really was the best show ever!