Tuesday 27 September 2022

iPerform: a celebration of the Performing Arts
written by Erin Wallace, Year 13 

Before the summer holidays, the Dance and Drama Department at Keswick school held its annual iPerform event, during which a Lip Dub video was made and an iPerform night was put on for students to showcase their Performing Arts talents. This year, the Lip Dub video was based on the “Cups” song, originally performed by Anna Kendrick from the ‘Pitch Perfect’ movies. The song was recreated in a joint effort between a talented student named Imogen Cockbain (middle of photo), who sang the lyrics, and the Music Department, who played the tune. The video (follow the link below) featured the student iPerform leaders lip-syncing to the music as they walked through various classrooms. Then, the whole school gathered in a spiral on the field to perform a dance routine choreographed beforehand. This was filmed by a drone operator and the effect was very impressive.

It’s safe to say that both students and teachers cherish the opportunity to be creative and have some fun. Lydia McAllister, an iPerform leader, said that her favourite thing about these events “is the inclusion of everyone in the school. Staff and students all come together and, at the end of the day, you can’t tell who is from what year group or what department: we all work as one.” For the Head of the Dance and Drama Department, Helen Westle, the iPerform is a chance “to capture that feeling of unity - that we are a team and we are a school. It shows how we’ve got each other's backs and that we support each other.”

The iPerform week is also a chance for students to acquire new skills and build up self-confidence. A group of pupils started rehearsing their performance in September and practised in the Dance and Drama Building every lunchtime for the whole year. This reflects the dedication and passion that the Performing Arts can bring out in young people. As Mrs Wesltle explained: “By the end of the year, they’d all opted for drama. They’d had the courage to stand up and perform in front of an audience and that was a real journey for them. Now, they are much more confident students.”