AMELIE WINS CHRISTMAS COMPETITION AT PERFORMING ARTS COMPANY

SCHOOLGIRL Amelie Speirs has taken the festive prize in an online competition to spread a little Christmas cheer for fellow students of Swindon-based Revolution Performing Arts.

As one of the county’s leading performing arts companies, Revolution Performing Arts, has been able to offer Covid-safe, socially distanced small group classes across Swindon and wider Wiltshire from the end of lockdown 2. 

Founder Fi Da Silva Adams said: “We wanted to offer a little festive cheer and we challenged our dancers, singers and actors to dress up on a certain date at a certain class and they were all entered into a competition for the best dressed.

“Amelie, who is 8, and who lives in Shaw, West Swindon, was chosen for her cheeky pose and her unicorn/reindeer outfit by an independent judge. She won a book voucher for use at the independent book shop Octavia’s in Cirencester”.

Fi Da Silva Adams and her team run multiple performing arts classes across Wiltshire and also in Shrivenham. In the new year (subject to relevant Covid19 tier levels at the time) they will also be re-starting classes after many months at St Bartholomew’s Primary Academy, The Rosary, Royal Wootton Bassett. 

There will also be two new classes one in Toothill, West Swindon and also at the Great Western Academy, North Swindon. These classes are as the result of high demand: the Toothill session will be a performing arts class for young children aged nine to 11 years and the Great Western Academy session will be a specific street dance class for young people aged 12 to 16 years old. 

“Our classes are a safe space for children and teenagers to express themselves. We have an ethos of empowering children and embracing everyone, focusing on what they can do and we don’t force any student to do anything they don’t feel ready to enjoy.”

The Royal Wootton Bassett class will be run by RPA leaders, Cara Buy and Dan Wyatt and the new classes at Toothill and Great Western Academy  will be run by Jade Carroll & Jessi Carroll respectively. 

Revolution Performing Arts was founded in 2007 and the team have been running online sessions throughout both lockdowns. The organisation received a grant from Arts Council England through the Covid19 Emergency Fund to enable them to continue supporting children and teenagers in the area throughout 2020. 

RPA runs sessions in after school clubs and also open classes in other community venues. All of their teachers are DBS checked, trained in first aid and receive full training in safeguarding protocols.  It specialises in empowering young people to celebrate their individuality through the power of performing arts. To enrol for any class visit www.revolutionpa.co.uk/enrol