Dozens of young Elgin dancers and their parents are ‘gutted’ after their chance to perform in the London’s West End was pulled away from them at the last minute.
Zara Mortimer and her 46 students had been perfecting routines for months in the build-up to the big performance before the company organising the show collapsed.
Zara, the founder of Zara Mortimer School of Dance, was enjoying her holidays in Spain’s Costa del Sol when she received an email that left her “heartbroken.”
Now, the dance teacher has been praised by parents for finding an alternative venue for the event.
Dance show pulled at the last minute
The 38-year-old teacher and 46 of her students had been training for months for a special performance at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre on Monday, July 29.
However, last Wednesday, a week and a half before the show, it was cancelled due to the company organising it going into administration.
Lynne Stewart, one of the kids’ mums, told the Press and Journal children were left “gutted” by the sad news.
However, she explained that the teacher went “above and beyond” to make sure the performance her pupils had trained so hard for could be held in an alternative venue.
The group will still travel to London as planned.
Despite being on holiday in sunny Spain, Zara started looking for solutions minutes after receiving the disheartening email.
Within 24 hours, she had found a way to make the London trip one for the kids to remember.
Zara told The P&J: “On Monday morning, the children will be doing workshops with Mamma Mia musical performer Chloe-Joe Byrnes, with whom I had worked in the past.
“In the evening, 100 of us including parents and siblings are going to see the Shrek musical at the Apollo Theatre.”
Zara Mortimer turns Elgin into London’s West End
However, there was still the issue of the kids not being able to perform their routine.
Lynne, who also helps Zara with her Monday classes, explained: “My nine-year-old daughter was gutted as they had been training for the show for the last three months.”
Thankfully, the passionate teacher managed to find an alternative venue, as kids will be performing their dance routines at Elgin Town Hall at 7pm tonight.
“We’re not charging for it; we just want it to be an opportunity for the community to see the children dancing,” Zara said.
The Dingwall-born teacher continued: “The kids are excited, and it looks like we are going to have a busy performance.”
Hero Elgin dance teacher went ‘above and beyond’
Zara, whose mum took her to her first dance lesson at the age of two, said that dancing is her life.
She explained: “It doesn’t feel like a job, but instead a passion; I eat, sleep and breathe dancing.”
In 2012, she opened her dance school in the Moray town, where she teaches different dancing styles to students aged between 2 and 18.
The school has become incredibly popular, with parents praising her passion and dedication.
Lynne concluded: “She didn’t have to do it, but she spent the last three days of her holiday making tonight happen.
“She always goes above and beyond for her dancers.”
Conversation