Razzamataz Street Dance

24th May 2010

Street dance brings boys back to theatre schools

It may have hid quietly in the shadows for a few years but now thanks to dance acts such as George Sampson, Diversity and Flawless, street dance is firmly back in the limelight. Commercial dance is now the star of the show and is set to shine in new film StreetDance 3D.

"For a long time dance has been seen as the back-up to other performing arts and not really given the credit it deserves," said Denise Hutton-Gosney, Director of Razzamataz Theatre Schools. "At Razzamataz we have always had a really strong emphasis on dance and much of our curriculum focuses around street dance."

Another added benefit to the rise in popularity of street dance is that it attracts many more boys to theatre schools. "There is no doubt that the likes of George Sampson and acts such as Diversity being given such a high profile on shows like Britain's Got Talent and StreetDance 3D have made boys realise that dance is cool and something fun to be involved with, in fact, many of our boys say that is has upped their street cred!" said Hutton-Gosney.

In all aspects of the performing arts, Razzamataz makes sure that it reflects the current trends that are accessible to children and teenagers as Hutton-Gosney explained: "As soon as students find out we are going to be teaching them pop, R&B and commercial dance, they realise it is pretty cool to be able to do some of the stuff that they watch artists performing on TV doing. It is probably why we have a really good ratio of boys and teenagers in all our schools."

One such student is Reuben Loftus, age 12, who has been attending Razzamataz since the age of six. "I'm really into street dance and it is brilliant to be able to learn the latest moves from professional dancers. I love going into school and showing my friends stuff we have done at Razzamataz. We also have the opportunity to work on our own moves and I really enjoy the whole dance music scene."

Razzamataz Theatre Schools makes it a priority to offer students the opportunity to work with the very best teachers and performers in the theatre. A major part of its success is that it invites guest teachers to Razzamataz workshops to share their industry knowledge. Guest teachers include Zoo Nation, creators of Into The Hoods featuring George Sampson, who wowed students with a specialist street dance workshop. The latest star to inspire Razzamataz students is Tim Noble, choreographer to Kylie Minogue.

Noble is a seasoned star of the West End as well as being part of the Kylie Minogue team, including being her main dancer and also choreographing a number of her videos and live international shows, for five years. Other projects he has worked on include Disney's High School Musical spectacular and the UK National Sister Act Tour. As well as Kylie, Noble has worked with performers such as Pharrell Williams, Jamelia and Sophie-Ellis Bextor.

The one-day workshop will take students through various styles of dance including musical theatre and commercial dance to reflect the curriculum of Razzamataz. With his wealth of performing and choreographic experience, Tim will offer the children a rare insight into the life of a professional dancer. At the end of the workshop all children will take part in a presentation for their family and each child will receive a certificate.

As one of the fastest growing theatre schools in the UK, Razzamataz is dedicated to working on making performance training accessible to young people all over the country. The school gained national prominence when Director Denise Hutton-Gosney, appeared on Dragons' Den in 2007 and multi-millionaire businessman Duncan Bannatyne invested in the schools.

To find out where your local Razzamataz Theatre School is located or for more information about the Tim Noble workshops visit