Spectacular show by creative arts students at academies

A spectacular hour of song, dance and drama showcased the vast array of artistic and performing talents of students at schools in the area.

More than 200 guests, who included proud parents and fellow students, were also treated to an exhibition of superb artwork and imaginative photography pieces.

‘Arts Beat’ was held to celebrate the hard work done in creative subjects such as music, drama, art, dance and photgraphy at three academies, which come under the umbrella of the Diverse Academies Learning Partnership. They are Queen Elizabeth’s Academy in Mansfield, where the show was staged, Wainwright Primary Academy in Mansfield and Holgate Academy in Hucknall.

Two separate showings were kicked off by a stomping performance from the Samba Band. Other students then displayed their considerable talents with a wide variety of musical numbers from films, such as ‘Aladdin’, to more contemporary pieces by Ed Sheeran, complete with vocal arrangements by choirs.

The audience was also wowed by Holgate students performing pieces of physical theatre, together with their take on some classics from musical theatre.

Claire Backhouse, of Diverse Academies, said: “We wanted to do something really positive to highlight the brilliant work that our students do in the creative arts. The result was this festival of sound, music, movement and colour.

“I am proud that the students embraced ‘Arts Beat’ and performed to the very best of their abilities. The reaction from the audiences was very pleasing. There are some very talented students in all of our academies, and we are excited to see them continue to develop.”

‘Arts Beat’ was also a key event in the two-year push for all the schools within Diverse Academies to be accredited to Artsmark, the creative quality standard approved by the Arts Council.

Artsmark recognises schools that achieve a high level of arts provision, and enables them to access a wide range of support for the benefit of all students.