As winners of arguably one of the TV’s most successful dance shows, and having recently just finished a stint in pantomime at the Maidstone TV Studios in Peter Pan where they played Swash And Buckle, Captain Hooks right hand men Chris and Wes are used to thousands of excitable children, which no doubt came in handy when they headed to Medway to teach a dancing masterclass to the students of Razzamataz Medway.
Chris & Wes who are best friends danced their way onto our screens in 2011 winning Sky 1’s Got To Dance because of their amazing dancing and loveable personalities.
This attracted lots of attention and a very dedicated following. They’ve gone on to perform, present and teach all around the UK. They presented for Sky One during the following 3 series for the online segment which also included their very own Got To Dance Backstage Live Facebook Stream.
Chris and Wes have worked on various TV shows including, CBBC’s Slammer, CBBC Kickabout Match of The Day, Channel 5’s Gadget Show and worked for big clients including Sainsburys, Comic Relief, Sport Relief, Children In Need and Cheryl Cole.
Chris and Wes visited the school in Medway on January 27th to teach young people of Medway a specially devised masterclass as part of the Razzamataz Theatre School’s weekly classes.
The masterclass was part of the students normal weekly classes. As part of its pledge to keep up to date with current performance trends, Razzamataz works with professional musicians, dancers and actors to run special masterclasses on a regular basis to inspire and mentor students. The students were treated to a commercial dance workshop. For the youngest group, age 4 – 5yrs the emphasis was on introducing new steps and having fun. The older groups, age 9-11 and 12-18 were treated to more intensive choreography and stylized moves to really challenge them.
“It is great to share the experience we have had with the next generation of performers,” says Chris and Wes.
Each Saturday during term time, Razzamataz teaches dance, drama and singing, covering the whole performing arts spectrum and creating ‘triple threat performers’, that is performers who are equally skilled in all three disciplines. What sets Razzamataz apart from the competition is the very strong links the team makes with those working professionally to give the students lots of amazing opportunities.
“These type of masterclasses really give students an advantage if they are considering studying performing arts at college when they leave school because they prepare them for the real world of a professional performer” says Emily Miller, Lead Principal of Razzamataz Medway. “Even if students come to Razz for fun, it’s really exciting to be taught by the professionals our students see on the television!”.
The students at Medway all attend Razzamataz every Saturday and during term time. Ages range from just 2 up to 18 and each week they attend singing, dance and drama classes and experience a range of styles from traditional West End musical theatre to pop singing and street dance. To find out more information about Razzamataz Medway or to reserve a place at our next free taster session in September, call 01634 893524, email medway@razzamataz.co.uk or visit www.razzamataz.co.uk
