Dancemania has attended every ‘Move it’ dance convention there has ever been and this year was no exception! As the format of the convention has evolved over the past years to be more academic and less a shopping experience this year we did not have a stand, but we couldn’t not go! Move It remains the biggest dance event in the UK and as such a hot pot of dance innovation, and where you find dance innovation there you find us.
I had never been to ‘Move it’ before and was quite excited about what the day ahead would bring. As I entered the Olympia Convention Centre for the first time hounds of enthusiastic dance fans queued up for miles, patiently waiting to sample all that the dance convention had to offer. The beat of the hip hop music resonated deep within each dancer, almost as if it was hypnotising us into a mesmerised state, calling us into the convention room. I almost imagined to see a hip hop pied-piper, rockin’ it out on his pipe, drawing us in. There was no hip hop pied-piper, but there was retailer after retailer and crowds of dancers all eager to make a purchases or to catch a glimpse of a performance.
As I walked through the crowds I could hear music from all angles, almost like it was a battle of who could play theirs the loudest. Throughout the day we were treated to various performances from such dance stars as Tommy Franzen, Lizze Gough and Robbie White from BBC’s So you think you can Dance. Also a few famous faces were spotted such as Akai from TV’s ‘Got to Dance’, as well as the fabulous Louie Spence who made appearance at some point throughout the event!
It was fantastic to see so many young dancers enjoying the classes which took place throughout the day and each class was packed full of people. The classes on offer ranged from Classic Jazz, Ballet, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Musical Theatre, Street Lindy, Belly Dancing and many more. Other than the classes there were endless opportunities for dancers to get discovered with the ‘Freestyle Stage’ and ‘Flawless Chase the Dream’. I managed to catch a glimpse of some of the wannabes doing their thing and it was very impressive. All shapes, sizes and ages were up there showing the world what they can do! I will also comment on how supportive the crowd was, after every performance the roar of applause was phenomenal and it was great to see that level of support in what could have been a very competitive atmosphere.
The retailers were all getting in the spirit, with flyer upon flyer being given out at any given opportunity. The performing arts colleges such as Birds and Performers were also on top form, encouraging young potential dancers to come and audition for them. The colleges also took part in a huge section of the performances and I must say they were very impressive!
Throughout the day I also managed to get a few shots on our Dancemania Video Cam! Take a look at our latest video to see what was going on at ‘Move it’!
Whilst there it was great to meet up with our colleagues from the world of dancewear and dance shoes, namely Bloch, Capezio, Pineapple and Sansha. Together we’ve lined up some quality gems to present to you over the coming year, which I know you guys are going to absolutely love!! So watch this space……