Who would have thought that the yearly event would attract so many dance enthusiasts already deeply in Bayram mood. The Spectrum Hall in Karaoğlanoğlu was full, and especially very young people had come to see their friends and to be carried away by dance and music, young people’s language, always has been.

Once a year the students and their teachers and choreographers show their talents, their work and the joy they have with it. The choreographers were Oleg Manukovsky, Galip Emre, Osman Ateş, Suzan Heijari (Head of the Department, Yaşan Mustafa, Laden Engüzel (Assistant) Yuliya Hermaniuk Meyzin (Assistant) Liliya Birogül (Assistant) Sercenk Yücel (Assistant)…..and the Delivery Dogs, an independent dance group who had participated also last year.

In 19 different dance sketches, in proper costumes designed by Tomur Akpinar, the dancers gave their best; their coordination in the dance formations was good. It is rather difficult to coordinate steps and movements in a group, high concentration and many hours of training are required to come to this point.

We saw classic dances at the beginning, classic ballet and the Française, who still remembers this dance? It was standard in dance schools, at least in my time. But, when the following groups entered the stage, with it the enormous loud music that made my ears explode, the young audience got excited. Movements like robots, they just loved it and you could see that the dancers were loving it too.  Fast and acrobatic.

New scenes were created this year for expressive dance shows, such as the ‘airport’ or ‘friends meeting’ with their shadows thrown on a big screen. Very impressive. There were also standard dances and tango…tango being the favourite number 1 in Cyprus, as far as I can see.

At the end, Lumumba Conteh, a perhaps three years old boy came onto the stage to support the choreography of the dance PAPA;  he entertained us all during the final curtain ceremonies.

The Dance Academy is in its sixth year and presumably new auditions will be held shortly for new students to enter; who will make it? Some of the performing students were in their first year, some have graduated, where will they go from here? We wish them good luck.

Thank you for the music, thank you for the show.