RICHARD Taunton students are heading to the final of Dance Live! at Portsmouth Guildhall after a fantastic performance in the first round.

The team were awarded second place at the new dance event set up by the Guildhall Trust following the demise of Rock Challenge.

This year sees the college celebrating eight years of competing in the finals of a regional dance competition.

Created in response to an article about a man who became homeless after the tragic loss of his wife, the piece was praised by the judges for the emotive and powerfully portrayed theme coupled with technically strong performances from the dancers. The team was also awarded the award for Best Journey to Dance Live a short video created and edited by dance students Emma Davies, formerly from St Anne’s Catholic School, and Mary-Ellen Hudson, formerly from Upper Shirley High School, to show the rehearsal and creative process.

Dance and Musical Theatre student Mary-Ellen Hudson said: “Our journey to Dance Live would not have been anywhere near as amazing as it was without the support of our teachers and crew. It was so rewarding to perform a piece that we all had created collaboratively, whether that was costume, set design, choreography or hair and makeup. We all worked extremely hard on all aspects of our Dance Live performance which clearly paid off. I can’t wait to perform in the finals with all of my talented peers!”

Lisa Fernandez Adams, Teacher of Dance and Director of RTSFC Dance Live Team, added: “It’s a great achievement to have been placed second in Dance Live! We thoroughly enjoyed the event and being part of such a positive atmosphere created by everyone involved in the day. Once again our students performed with maturity and integrity, I am so pleased that their hard work has been rewarded for this, and that we get to perform once again in the finals in April!”

The team will be performing the piece again at the Southern Final at Portsmouth Guildhall on Saturday April 25.

Richard Taunton offers a range of courses in Dance, Musical Theatre, Acting and Music, and as part of their studies students can take advantage of links with local arts venues and connections with industry professionals to prepare them for their futures.