Dance Express

Catriona and Fraser go to hip hop dancing at the dance studio featured in the last posting (Wall Paintings). Until now I, like Wendy when they said that's what they wanted to do, have rather dismissed hip hop. I suppose because of its association with the New York of the 1970s and the rap movement hip hop had negative connotations in my mind. Having seen the recital on Sunday my view has completely changed. And with it, as a result of a little bit of research to satisfy my curiosity, my sub-conscious prejudices.

Hip hop is far more multi-faceted and complex than the dancing we saw and yet that which we saw was exciting and, on the whole, more entertaining than the other dancing that day.

The Recital (an annual event to case show the efforts of the school and its pupils) comprised 35 dance routines performed by somewhere over a hundred participants - mostly young children - but ranging from about 5 to 35. The organisation alone was very impressive.