Dancing to the beat of Queen in ballet slippers

Breathtaking, jaw-dropping and magical were some of the words used to describe the Dancing Queen ballet and ballroom performance which blew away the Roodepoort Theatre audience on 14 March.

Dance Inc hosted their annual production where they showcased a performance by the legendary Queen. The cast ranged from first-time dancers of just four years old, to seasoned dancers of 19 years old.

Dance Inc is run by Carla Turner who also choreographed the dances alongside co-trainer and performer Candida Jade. Over the last 10 years the group has been responsible for productions such as Ariel in the Underworld, Winter Wonderland, The Magic Toy Box and now the ultimate, Dancing Queen.

The group received the Paula Fick Trophy at the 2011 Roodepoort Dance Festival for their first ballet performance, which was Ariel in the Underworld and was commended for the effective lighting, stunning music, imaginative costumes and the genius choreography. “This achievement gave me, as a young entrepreneur, the courage to hire the theatre instead of entering a competition. The students have flourished in a non-competitive environment, working together as a team instead of against each other, with their primary focus being better than they were yesterday,” Carla commented.

The Dancing Queen production was inspired by the 2019 hit movie Bohemian Rhapsody, which inspired many artists to perform covers of Queen hits. “The show combined the old with the new, and this year I shared the choreography with my past student Candida Jade, who now teaches alongside me. She is affectionately known as Teacher Tink! We both enjoy performing in our show, hoping to inspire our little ones to never stop dancing!” she added.

The 77 dancers started off with the hit song, We Will Rock You, and made their way through the Queen album which included Radio Gaga, It’s a Kind of Magic, ultimate favourite Bohemian Rhapsody, and ended with We are the Champions.

The perfect costumes which matched every song to the tee, and the perfect choreography brought about a superb performance.

“Having sat in the front row and experienced it myself, I was left speechless. I gave the cast a standing ovation with tears of joy in my eyes,” Record journalist, Halisje Crous said.

Those who have not seen one of Dance Inc’s performances yet should keep and eye out for early next year when hopefully, they will make their way back to the theatre to once again blow their audience away. “I doubt whether I will ever become rich from doing this job, but it has kept me young and fit. I really never knew how much love my heart could hold until I became a teacher! They are ‘my kids’. This year it was so touching to have past pupils in the audience, all grown up and reminiscing about their time in the theatre! My heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported the Dancing Queen production,” Carla concluded.

Watch the Dancing Queen performed by the Dance Inc dancers:

Click here to see some of the photos :