The ‘Dancing Dads’ will feature in the final performance of Danscentre’s ‘iDance’ show, the North-east dance school’s seventh major production at HMT featuring pupils from the middle and senior parts of the school in a diverse mix of dance styles, music and themes.
This ensemble features dads of some of Danscentre’s senior dance students who volunteer to raise money for local charities by performing their own unique dance routine.
Alexandros Zangelidis, one of the Dancing Dads, said: “People ask us why we do it. We do it because it's great fun, it takes us out of our comfort zone and stretches our dancing abilities to the limit.
“It is also a way to send a message to our kids not to be afraid to challenge themselves and that it is ok to make mistakes. In doing so, we are also raising money for two great charities – the British Heart Foundation Aberdeen and Homestart Garioch.”
This year, 10 dads will participate – Grigoris Athanasiadis, Chethan Babu, David Christie, Simon Hicks, Steven Louis, Fraser Mackie, Andy Melvin, Prem Reynolds, Mark Roper and Alexandros Zangelidis.
Alexandros continued: “Some of us have done it a few times already – this will be my third time. For the iDance show, we have done six rehearsals at the Danscentre under the guidance of Jillian Louis and Holly Williamson. We had one final rehearsal this week, this time at HMT, and then we will go on stage on Saturday evening.
“The rehearsals are quite demanding, as we have to learn a seven-minute choreography in six rehearsals. So although there are some laughs, we take it seriously.
“No matter how we feel before going to the rehearsals, we always give 100 per cent - both in effort and enthusiasm – and at the end we leave with a big smile on our faces.”
The tradition of the Dancing Dads started back in 2002 and has become a Saturday evening performance highlight for the last six productions of Danscentres’ Senior Dance show.
Danscentre hosts a Senior Show every three years at HMT and Dancing Dads have raised over £50,000 for local charities within Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire.
This year is extra special as it has been five years since their last performance and they can’t wait to get back on stage to raise money - and, of course, raise the roof!
The ‘iDance’ show - having been postponed from June 2020 - has been a long-awaited and keenly anticipated chance for the school’s dancers perform in front of a live audience. It’s a celebration of youth, movement and the exciting and evolving world of digital dance, exploring the latest dance trends alongside traditional theatre.
The dads have, so far, raised over £4500 for their charities. Donations can be made at the Dancing Dads’ JustGiving page.
Tickets for ‘iDance’ can be purchased at Aberdeen Performing Arts.