Jigsaw Epsom students Perform at Summerfest!

Jigsaw Performing Arts Epsom has been running for just under a year now; we are a thriving performing arts school, experiencing exponential growth! Over the last 11 months, our student base has grown significantly and we have had to take on new staff to support this growth. It is an incredibly exciting time for all involved. Our students at Jigsaw Epsom love to perform and we are tremendously proud of them for working diligently each week to recite their lines, practise their dance routines and rehearse their songs… so much so, that we have jumped at the chance to appear at external events as well! 

Back in July, our students aged 7-18 years-old at Jigsaw Epsom got to perform at Summerfest, an outdoor music festival, featuring Tinchy Stryder, D:REAM, East 17, Liberty X, Sweet Female Attitude and… Jigsaw Epsom! We also had a stand at the event, which made for great publicity, whilst two of our teachers ran a workshop where they taught young festival-goers a short dance routine. It was wonderful, seeing our students dancing and singing with such poise, it also provided them with the opportunity to showcase their talents to the general public!

Once they had finished, the children and their families stayed on to enjoy the festival, with many of the Jigsaw students walking around together, posing for photos on a giant deckchair, watching the magic show and petting the animals on the mobile farm. I love how our students have become such good friends with one another – performing arts involves team work, combining one’s efforts to ensure that everything runs smoothly; dance steps are in-sync, songs harmonise well and drama scenes are more authentic when everyone communicates, empathises, supports and trusts their peers. Watching our students combine their efforts, before enjoying some downtime together, highlighted the additional benefits of performing arts for me in a way that I had not really considered before.

Last weekend, our 5-6 year-olds students at Jigsaw Epsom joined the older students for a festive event at Bourne Hall, where dance schools from all over Epsom were able to perform to the public. The children had been rehearsing prior to this, working on a few Christmas songs and fine-tuning their dance routines, they then had one last practice session in our designated room, before taking to the stage! It was magnificent, watching our 5-6 year-olds perform with such confidence, both on their own (for their dance routine) and with their older counterparts (for the Christmas numbers). Everyone was thoroughly immersed in the festivities and again, I revelled in the magic that was being witnessed here, with our students joining forces to create some truly memorable moments on stage. 

We have two more external performances this term; later this week, our 5-18 year-olds will be performing to the elderly at Epsom hospital, before helping to decorate their Christmas tree and participating in the lights switch-on event. We also have a slot at a big local charity’s Christmas fair, where our students will get to perform their songs and dance routines one more time before we break for the festive period.

I have to admit, I am always so impressed with the level of professionalism, self-confidence and resiliency that our students demonstrate when performing at external events. I am certain that having the chance to present their well-honed acts contributes towards more positive social development, whilst promoting an interest in community involvement. I feel extremely fortunate to be in such a position, where I am able to arrange and offer these opportunities to our students, moreover, I feel even luckier that our students and their families are always happy to participate!