Best feet forward for East Ayrshire’s young dancers this summer

Themed on circus acts and the excitement of the Big Top and organised by East Ayrshire Council’s Creative Minds Team, the first summer school took place at Cumnock Academy at the end of July.

Here, young people learned Hip-Hop and Jazz from professional dance artists, with a separate Parkour School, funded by the Scottish Attainment Challenge, helping all young people find their niche.

The dance school ran for a week with a finale show taking place on the Friday in Cumnock Academy’s assembly hall.

The second dance summer school ran during the first week of August in Kilmarnock, with Hip-Hop, Jazz and Contemporary workshops on offer – as well as the Parkour School, again funded by the Scottish Attainment Challenge.

At the end of the week, all young people put on a finale event, showcasing their fantastic new skills at Kilmarnock’s Grand Hall.

Commenting on the dance schools, Councillor Fiona Campbell, Cabinet Member for Skills and Learning said: “The feedback from the dance schools has been superb and both weeks were well attended.

“All our young people said that they had enjoyed their time, learning new dance skills and making some great new friends as the sessions progressed.

“It was especially pleasing to learn that many who had attended previous dance schools helped younger children to boost their confidence, as well as building on their own amazing artistic talents.

“It really is lovely that these popular dance schools have grown so much in size and scope, offering our brilliant young people so much fun in their summer holidays.”