DMU Dance students wow the audience at end of year performance

Original, exuberant and daring, De Montfort University Leicester (DMU)’s talented Dance students are known for challenging the status quo and pushing the boundaries.


So it was no surprise that this year’s University Dance Festival at Leicester’s Curve theatre left audiences impressed and amazed.

Rave reviews followed Tuesday night’s performance, which is a celebration of some of the best choreography and performance produced by Dance students over the past year—for many students it was their last performance before graduation this summer.

Final year students performed new work directed by DMU staff Marie Hay and Pete Shenton. Marie’s piece, called ‘Imitation Chorus,’ was based on how people imitate others while Pete’s ‘Love on the Run’ re-imagined the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche.



Dancer Darcy Kitchener said: “It was really good fun. Everyone came together on the day, it was one of those things where you came off the stage and everyone was either crying because it was so emotional or had a huge smile on their face.”

The festival showcased original choreography by students. Darcy also worked collaboratively on ‘Interchange’ a work exploring relationships between dancers and between dancers and audience. She said: “It’s really interesting to see how the process pans out and how things end up in going in different directions. It’s really nice to perform really different pieces and be able to show different aspects of ourselves as performers. We did have quite a lot of say in all three dances, they were really collaborative processes.”



Stunning lighting design was provided by DMU staff member Mark Dimartino Marriott and the performance was stage managed by students Cheylene Patel, Chloe Cobham and Rosalind Burkett-Wenham. Head of Dance, Jayne Stevens, said: “This was a great opportunity not only for students to perform in a professional venue but for students to run a show in one of the most technically sophisticated theatres in the country.”

DMU’s dance course is one of the most established and successful in the country. It boasts a staff team of internationally acclaimed artists and researchers and is home to some of the most exciting and forward-looking dance practice in the UK.

Louisa Robey was among the students performing at the festival. She said the experience had been ‘amazing’. She said: “What an amazing end to a fantastic three years at DMU Dance!”

DMU MA graduate Chris Waldock, who now works at Leicester’s Haymarket Theatre, said the evening included some “exceptional work” while Emily Bolton and Sophie Hocking, who run creative dance company Moving Together, said: “Fabulous work from DMU Dance students as always.”