Dance Fest involves around 300 dancers

Elmore Stoutt High School cheerleader Shontaea Matthew loves the spotlight.

So she relished the attention she received when she performed alongside about 20 other members of the ESHS Lady Rams during the BVI Dance Fest on Saturday at the Sir Rupert Briercliffe Hall.

“I like people watching me when I dance,” she said after the show, which is organised annually by the BVI Dance School. “It gives me energy to dance more.”

The event, which featured about 300 performers, began with the youngest groups — dancers as young as 4 in pink tutus — and ended with teenagers performing ballet and tap routines.

There was no shortage of applause from the audience of nearly 1,000 people, which included dozens of parents who took turns lining the stage to take photographs.

BVI Dance School founder Sandy Lyons watched closely, and she followed each performance with a standing ovation.

Plans and rehearsals for the show began in January, Ms. Lyons said, adding, “It has been a long haul for us all.”

See the June 16, 2016 edition for full coverage.

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