The Salopian Summer 2023

SCHOOL NEWS
43
In 2023, we have celebrated the
350th anniversary of John Weaver,
the ‘dancing master’ of Shrewsbury
from 1720 to 1760. Weaver was a
highly esteemed choreographer and
producer, creating works such as The
Loves of Mars and Venus and Orpheus
and Eurydice which were performed
at the royal court and in the West
End. He combined Italian Commedia
dell’Arte with classical mythology and
French court dance to create the first
truly English ballet. Weaver wanted to
elevate dance to the same artistic status
as theatre, believing that dance could
communicate story and feeling without
the commentary of speech or song. He
was also an accomplished writer and
academic, developing his own system
of dance notation which is still used
today. Dance is a uniquely transient art
form, but Weaver’s system has enabled
generations of choreographers to pass
on their work to later dancers.
We celebrated Weaver’s legacy with a
series of events, including an exhibition
of his work in the Moser Library, a
lecture by renowned dance historian,
Moira Goff, our inaugural dance
competition and the annual dance
The John Weaver Dance Festival
showcase, which this year was inspired
by Weaver’s influence on English ballet.
The festival began with the showcase,
which was performed to enthusiastic
audiences on Friday and Saturday
night. Over fifty students took part,
which is testament to the growth of
dance at Shrewsbury over the last few
years under the inspirational leadership
of Sian Stanhope and Olivia Jones.
All of the performances demonstrated
great skill and enthusiasm, from Clara
Garavini’s jazz routine to the exquisite
ballet solos of Emily Martell, Cordelia
Hebblethwaite, Will O’Hagan and
Bethan Reid and the dynamic hip
hop trio of Rebekah Liu, Joey Pang
and Nami Chusang. The finale of the
showcase was a fantastic contemporary
group number to Bring me Out of the
Dark, performed by our Intermediate
Contemporary Team.
This team, alongside groups from six
other schools across Shropshire, took
part in Shrewsbury’s inaugural dance
competition on Saturday. Moira Goff
was joined as adjudicator by Rosie
Price, a dancer and teacher from
Elmhurst School of Ballet and Rambert
School of Contemporary Dance. We
welcomed competitors in all age
groups from Primary to Senior, with the
winners of each heat going through to
the Grand Final on Sunday.
The standard of competition was
incredibly high, and it was wonderful
to see so many students passionate
about dance as an art form.
On Sunday, we were delighted to
welcome the Lord Lieutenant of
Shropshire, Anna Turner, to present the
Weaver Cup – and even more delighted
when our team were announced as the
overall winner. The adjudicators praised
the piece’s imaginative and challenging
choreography, and the emotional
commitment of all the dancers.
1st – Shrewsbury School
2nd – Katie Crosland Dance Company
3rd – Packwood Haugh
We would like to thank all those
who helped make the festival
possible, particularly Maggie Love,
Moira Goff, Rosie Price, Anna
Turner, Laura Whitrick, and all the
participants.