Steps - What the Future Holds

Over 15 months ago, Jolly Mess and Crazy Wavy Davy decided to treat themselves to tickets to watch “Steps“ and….after listening to the album on repeat ever since, introducing their music to the children in our warm ups and utilising the megamix in finale of “Cinders in the Circus”….last night we FINALLY got there to watch.

I’ve decided to write a blog post about it because for us, it was SO MUCH MORE than “just a concert.”

The creatives involved in this spectacle need serious recognition, I could not believe what I was seeing and hearing! Mash ups of their songs to different eras of music, from renaissance to Vogue, it was SO clever how they managed to take us through the years using their back catalogue of songs with a twist. The costumes, choreography and staging blew my mind and definitely made me want to up my game, but what impressed me the most was the INCLUSIVITY! The costuming was what they wanted to wear 🤷🏻‍♀️ No gender specific costuming or choreography, partnering or props, the dancers showed diversity and strength and were amazing, an absolute JOY to watch and truly elevated the whole experience!

They had some awesome purple isis wings fashioned into amazing costumes and the intricacy that they achieved was mesmerising!! I’m going to raid the costume box and have a play around in ours tonight ;) so look out for them in our next production squad!

I’d say the whole 60s section was my favourite, but honestly I think all of it was haha! The Rich Mans Frug twist on 5,6,7,8 was INCREDIBLE and I love that the choreographer had managed to adapt this iconic routine to fit the 60s but also to propel it straight into 2021! I’ll definitely be doing the Fosse version from now on ;)

There was a moment when a wonderful

couple got engaged and Steps facilitated the proposal, and this was followed by Heartbeat which absolutely reduced me to tears. Everyone deserves love, to feel love, to feel that they can love whoever they want and to experience the joy it brings too, and I really do hope that the children from STC grow up in a world where they feel accepted to be whoever they want to be.

We had spotty Dalmation costumes and big bouncy balls for the dancers during another section and then they were dressed as those super bright spiky ball things which was brilliant too!

The Renaissance section made me GRIN from ear to ear. H was up there in a dress living his best life. Bing Bang Bonging and standing proudly exclaiming to a whole arena that he is a gay man and proud. WHAT AN ICON. This shouldn’t be such a huge deal but it really, really is. It‘s ensuring that everyone knows that it really is ok to be yourself. Regardless of assigned gender or sexual orientation you can be yourself, you can love yourself for you who are and you deserve to be loved too.

Unsurprisingly the details get a little fuzzier towards the end of the concert 😉😉 (but I have covered up our drinks incase you want to show the children - we don’t want to be promoting our fuzzy headedness haha!) so I can’t remember choreography notes etc but I CAN remember the feeling. And that was one of pride.

The concert was everything I aim for Showtime Circus to be only much more organised, polished and with a huger budget haha.

STC is a place where everyone can come, lose their inhabitions, have the most fun ever and discover what makes them who they are and who they want to be. In turn, this will increase confidence (as well as improve dexterity, strength and balance and loads more too!) but this increase in confidence will mean that every member of the STC family will grow up feeling a huge sense of self worth which will carry into their adult life regardless of whether they want to join the circus or not. This is HUGE because to quote Ru Paul themselves “If you can’t love yourself, how in the h*ll you gonna love somebody else?!” WHAT A NIGHT!

It was emotional and I just wanted to share my joy. If STC provides a space for one person to feel 10% of the feeling of belonging that I felt last night then I will be a happy, happy person! They’re in London next week so grab yourself a slice of the joy!!!

*Thanks for reading my hungover ramblings, I just wanted to get it down on paper how I felt*

*Sorry not sorry if I continue to play Steps on warm ups*

*I love every single member of the STC family and our door is AWAYS open to talk to us.*