St Albans dancers storm Watford’s Harlequin Centre

DANCERS from a St Albans-based performance group stormed the Harlequin shopping centre in Watford at the weekend, wowing the crowds with their energetic routines.

More than 50 dancers from the performing arts group which holds classes at Beaumont School in the evenings and at weekends, took part in a “flash dance” – an impromptu group performance in a public place – and two of their members who will soon be seen on the TV show Got to Dance also performed under their stage name, Alleviate.

Zoe Jackson, the managing director of the group and just 21 years old, said the event was the perfect showcase for the group’s talented performers and followed on from similar flash dance performances at Hatfield Galleria and St Pancras International Station.

Zoe, a former Beaumont pupil, founded the company when she was just 16 as a means of funding her place at the National Youth Theatre.

The group is a unique alternative to many performance arts groups in that it is run entirely by young people for young people.

It is open to anyone and the ethos behind it is that young people respond extremely positively to working in an adult-free environment.

Those who teach at Living the Dream classes are aged 18-22 and have either recently graduated from or are training at prestigious performing arts schools.

With over 100 members from all over Hertfordshire, Living the Dream is continually growing and strives to keep classes affordable for young people, charging �5 per class.

Their annual showcase during the Easter holidays (April 11-17) will include two performances at the Radlett Centre and anybody aged three to 25 is invited to take part.

For more information on how to join in the fun, visit their website at www.livingthedreamcompany.co.uk