A BRADFORD dance school owner and her students have spoken of their “devastation” after learning that their West End show had been cancelled after their booking company went into administration.
Seventy-six students at Ockerby Academy in Eldwick, Bingley, had practiced "months on end” to perform at the prestigious Shaftesbury Theatre in London next Monday, only to learn less than a fortnight before the show that their dream of performing there had been dashed.
Daniella Dunn, principal and owner of Ockerby Academy, said: “We had an amazing opportunity to perform at Shaftesbury Theatre in London next Monday (July 29) which we were all absolutely ecstatic about.
“We were then told on Wednesday, July 17, the provider (Class Talent Ltd) we had booked with had gone into administration, meaning it was now cancelled leaving myself and 76 of my super-talented students and all their families absolutely devastated.
Ockerby Academy's young dancers (Image: UGC)
“This meant that no performance was going to happen, and we’ve all lost out on money.
“We’ve been rehearsing for the past few months and the past four weekends to get everything perfect ready for our West End debut.
“We had costumes ready to go, all our hotels and trains booked, which were all non-refundable.
“It just came out of the blue completely,” said Daniella. “I had 76 devastated dancers. The children had been rehearsing months on end.
“I tried to contact Class Talent for an explanation but I couldn’t get through because they were in administration.”
In a message sent to Ockerby Academy, Linda Smith and Charlotte Kelly, directors of Class Talent Ltd, said: “Unfortunately, since the Covid-19 pandemic Class Talent has undergone a very large amount of financial difficulty.
“As a result, we have had to make the decision to go into administration.
“I have asked Shaftesbury to refund all ticket monies paid by your parents / guardians.
“There is no easy way to go through this process, and it’s broken us both that we have had to make this decision, more so than we ever thought it could.
“Class Talent has been in our lives for the past 11 years and we have met some incredible people in that time.
“The stress and anxiety that we each go through daily to keep the business afloat is, unfortunately, now taking its toll on our health very badly.
“We both wish your schools every success in the future, and we hope our paths will cross again in happier and lighter times.”
London from above, as a group of students had their hopes dashed (Image: Pixabay)
However, all is not lost for the children as Daniella explained that she managed to sort two workshops for the children to attend at the prestigious Pineapple Dance Studios in London, where they will also be able to perform their dance on Monday afternoon.
“I didn’t want to let the kids down,” said Daniella. “I know it’s a business, but it means a lot more to me.”
Students at Ockerby Academy also spoke their thoughts after hearing the devastating news.
Matilda, 11, said: “As soon as I found out that our dance school was going to be performing in London I was over the moon.
“It was my dream to perform on a West End stage from a young age and when I heard that I was going to have this amazing opportunity to perform in front of hundreds of people, I was thrilled.
“There was a real buzz in rehearsals as everyone was looking forward to this amazing day.
Responding to the news, Matilda said: "I was heartbroken. It felt like all this hard work and dedication that we had put into our routines was all for nothing.
“Never in a million years did we think this would happen."
But she welcomed the fact that alternative plans had been made and that she was still "super excited."
Maddie, 12, said: “When I first found out about the situation (which we’ve all worked so hard for) I was devastated and felt that this massive opportunity was gone.
“Knowing Miss Dannii I knew she would sort something out and she did, like she always does."
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