By Xenia Aidonopoulou @Pavilion Dance South West
Photo credit to Nikolas Louka
Today we enjoyed a beautiful, calming and enchanting performance at Pavilion Dance South West in Dorset. We took all three little ones ages 2, 3 and 6.
We sat down and it all looked a bit different from when we normally sit down at the theatre. There was no curtain in sight, however, there seemed to be a large bubble with some intriguing lights and shadows behind it.
Minutes in, the bubble is down and the children are mesmerised.
We travelled through the clouds, our journey with the rain, the storms, the wind, the sunshine and birds chirping and owls hooting.
If you could try and imagine clouds in the sky, I can imagine this performance has got it right... the forever changing weather and seasons, the swirling, the breeze and the animals.
The music, the creative lighting through the set and the clouds were just dreamy, the dancers, the props. All just beautifully wound together to ensure the children are immersed in the atmosphere. Mesmerised in an enchanting, rendering beautiful piece of creative arts.
Photo credit to Nikolas Louka
The dancers came into the audience with birds and butterflies, the children's eyes lit up and they interacted with the dancers and the butterflies floating above their heads and the birds on their shoulders, or landing on their heads. Just dreamy!
The piece ended breathtakingly with a stunning rainbow. It was just magical.
Photo credit to Rosie Powell
The performance created vast talking opportunities to create wonder and awe but also enhanced educational opportunities to discuss, our atmosphere, the world that we live in, the seasons, time, the weather and the beauty of the animals around us.
Just being 45 minutes long in duration, it is the perfect introduction to theatre shows such as Skydrive, for Early years plus. Long enough to have some great engagement and focus but short enough to keep the little one's captured for the duration.
These small studios at the theatres are just fantastic for little ones on their first journey into the theatre - helping to promote and grow children's creativity and imagination in the creative arts. Enabling and encouraging children to have the confidence to express themselves in anyway they like.... dance, run, move, jump, feel the air and the space around them to move in different ways and experiment.
After the show, we did arts and crafts and created our very own butterflies and birds. Just like in the performance. Ophelia then danced with her butterflies all the way home inspired and enthused by 'Skydiver'.
Thank you for having us PDSW (Pavilion Dance South West) and Skydiver.
Keep and eye out for what is coming up next at the theatre to grow your little one's cultural capital.
Sebrina & Co