#Throwback Thursday: Competition Groups

Another look back through the archives for this week's #ThrowbackThursday, with some more competition groups of 1998/9.

'Aqua Dream' barefoot group, 1998:

This was probably the largest group we've ever attempted, consisting of the majority of the ballet grade students. Personally, I can see lots of familiar faces in this photo, but I won't out anyone...

'Aqua Dream' barefoot group, 1999:

This slightly smaller version of the barefoot group was placed third on their second competition. Those skirts, by the way, are made of real silk (Alison still won't tell me how much they cost...), and students' parents sat out in the waiting room prior to the competition stitching waistbands and decoration by hand. Each skirt is still individually labelled with the students' names. I had the slightly nerve-wracking experience of fixing one last year, as they're still brought out on special occasions. Most of the time they live in the storage room, protected by a long-serving thick plastic bag, but if they're brought out for your class to wear, please be extra careful with them - they are twenty years old now, after all!

'Men in Black' jazz group, 1999:

Okay, so this one is technically a concert group, not a competition group, but these girls look so amazingly late '90s I couldn't not put them in here. This was senior jazz's dance for the annual end-of-year concert. I suspect that the girls used their own sunglasses, but true to form (as Alison always says, 'As soon as you've thrown it out, you'll need it'), we've definitely still got the waistcoats, which have come in handy over the years (for, among other things, a chimney sweep dance, but that's another story). On another note, you can see the 'smiley clock' in this picture - he's been winking at the occasional student for many years now. Keep smiling at him and he might wink at you one day...

Thanks for reading!

- Selene