Bandar Seri Begawan - Studio Scene recently staged a musical -Jukebox Musicals, a dance recital featuring excerpts from West End and Broadway. The event was attended by the students' families and friends. Studio Scene's dance showcase is an event that many students will agree is the highlight of their dance training at Studio Scene. Like every other dance recital for the past seven years, it has almost become customary for the show to be staged at the enigmatic Jerudong Park Amphitheatre. These recitals take place every other year, and past concert themes that have been focussed on are areas such as art (A Dancers Palette, 2010) and environmental awareness (Cry of the Wild, 2008). This year's production, entitled "Jukebox Musicals" entertained the audience with songs and dances selected from both old and new musicals staged on Broadway and the West End.

The show began with a rendition of 'Jukebox Hero', from the musical "Rock of Ages", followed by an opening dance - "We Will Rock You" from "We Will Rock You" - the musical adaptation of Queen's best-selling hits. The show continued with dances from various dance disciplines such as Ballet, Jazz Ballet, Tap, Hip Hop and Contemporary Some of the songs performed were "Ease On Down The Road" from "The Wiz" by kids as young as four; younger still were the three-year-old performers of the movement and rhythm class, who danced to "Under the Sea" from "The Little Mermaid". Another performance that was a visual treat was the group ballet, which consisted of dancers from grade two to advanced two; dancing to a medley of overtures from West End plays. The scholarship group of Studioscene; Urban Vibe, performed the penultimate dance, which consisted of a medley of Hairspray, Grease and Dreamgirls.

According to the Managing Director of Studio Scene Patricia Siva, the concert was "a lot of hard work and effort put in by the children, and teachers at the studio. It would not have been possible without the help of sponsors, and parents who took the time to bring their children to rehearsals."

First opened in 2005, Studio Scene is one of few dance schools in Brunei. Offering Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Yoga, Pilates and Latin/Ballroom classes, it is also home to the only Harlequin sprung floor dance studio in the country. Sprung floors are essential for both young and more matured dancers, as these specialised floors enable students to work on a safer, more stable floor; thereby strengthening and protecting their feet. Studio Scene's teachers are also fully licenced teachers with internationally recognised qualifications.

Last year, Studio Scene has hosted three different dance examinations. The exams are conducted by internationally renowned dance boards such as RAD, CSTD and ATOD; all of which are taught within Studio Scene in their Ballet, Tap, and Jazz ballet programmes respectively. The dance exams take place annually, and examiners are flown in from overseas.

Most recently conducted were the RAD ballet exams, where students ranging from Pre-Primary level up to Advanced 1 level were examined. The students achieved a 100 per cent pass rate, with many achieving high merits and 26 distinctions. Prior to these exams, the ATOD Jazz ballet syllabus exams and CSTD tap exams took place. Once again, students produced a 100 per cent passing rate, with several attaining Honours and Distinctions.

--Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin