Thirteen year ten and eleven BTEC Dance students travelled to Plymouth to see a production of ‘Edward Scissorhands’ choreographed by Matthew Bourne. The year eleven students had been studying his work for some months and year 10 are due to begin their research soon.

Based on the well known Jonny Depp film, this production faithfully referred to the iconic imagery and storyline of the original movie. As the curtains opened, the magical music conjured a feeling of haunting beauty. With our fifth row seats we were able to really appreciate the detail of the choreography, costumes and set design, along with the impeccable technique of the dancers.

The dancer playing the character of Edward was incredibly impressive executing challenging balletic and acrobatic movement whilst negotiating his multi bladed hands. The wonderful thing about a Bourne piece is the way he delivers fun, wit, pathos and charm into every scene. With 24 dancers onstage at times, it was often difficult to know where to look. Several students said they would need to see it again to appreciate everything. It was my second time and it felt just as fresh and entertaining as the first. A standing ovation from the whole auditorium seemed an appropriate end to a perfect show.

In the interval there was a rumour that Matthew Bourne was in the auditorium and only a few seats away from us. After the show, the students were wondering if we might see him. We decided to go to the stage door and Ava volunteered to ask if he was around. A minute later we were standing as a group having a photo taken with him. I explained were we were from and that the students felt like they had spent most of the year studying him. He said ‘ They probably know more about me than I do!’

A very memorable day for the students. For three of them it was their first visit to a theatre. For others their first experience of seeing live dance on a professional stage. As always, it was a pleasure to be in their company for the day and enjoy sharing an interest that unites us all.

Tee-J Randall

Below are some reviews from some year 10 students:

I thought Matthew Bourne’s interpretation of Edward Scissorhands was really good. I was left shocked at how good it was. He is a very nice person and we were lucky enough to have taken a photo with him. The dancers did an amazing performance they should be extremely proud.

I loved the dance trip to Plymouth , watching Matthew Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands. The show was spectacular and was amazing watching dancers perform moves and choreography inspired by dancers/choreographers we have learnt about.

The trip was so much fun, it was really nice to spend time with all the Dance students. The performance was absolutely amazing, it was my first time watching a whole dance piece live and I definitely picked the right show to start with, it was fantastic!!