image: Daniel Boud
Last night the kids and I went along to the Sydney Opera House for the performance of Blaze. It was a beautiful evening so we started with a drink down at the Opera Bar before heading in. At the Opera House lots of families mingled in the foyer before the start of the show.
Blaze consists of a dance crew of street and break dancers hailing from almost every corner of the world. The show premiered in London and Sydney is one of the many stops in their international tour.
With our drinks and popcorn sorted, we walked into the Concert Hall to see the stage was set with pairs of shoes spotlit waiting patiently for their owners. As the shoeless dancers appear the back curtain rises to reveal an amazing backdrop set made up of drawers and cupboards (and a bathtub!) piled up on top of each other...during the show some drawers opened to reveal and hide dancers, get climbed over and danced within and acts as a screen for spectacular projected scenery without overshadowing the dancers.
The dancing blew us away, exciting and full of energy - and showcased how innovative street dance can be. Everything worked in the performance, the dancers sharing their passion and the soundtrack keeping it together. You can find out more about the dancers here: Blaze UK.
I was discussing recently with another Mum how I am finding it difficult to find performances that I can take all my children to - I have three children aged between 9 and 14. Blaze kept every family member satisfied. We all loved it.
This isn't a show where all the action just happens on stage....it's an interaction with the audience. The crew encourage you to get your cameras out, to cheer along and if the mood strikes you - to get up and dance.
By the end everyone in the audience was up dancing (there was a grandmother getting her dance moves on a few chairs over from us). One lucky child got to go on stage and dance with the crew. After their last encore and as the lights went up many audience members lingered a little bit longer in the hope the dancers would return on stage just one more time.
Extra: If you have kids that are into skateboarding - get them to bring their gear to the Blaze skate park outside from 11am until 7pm. My eldest son is keen to go back to show off his skills.
Blaze runs until 20th Jan 2013 at Sydney Opera House.
All ages.
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