There is no point in telling readers to rush out to see Step by Step's Gala for every single ticket for the three performances on Friday, Saturday and Sunday was sold our long ago. Gill Downton had to queue at 7am to be sure of hers.

It is not very surprising. There were more than 260 children of all ages slipping in and out of costumes at the dress rehearsal, all inspired by the ability of Miss Joanne and Miss Kayleigh to choreograph their troupes in spellbinding performances and scoop major prizes against top national competition at Blackpool. This year they won three third prizes, one second and two firsts, one of them for Best New Entry with the dynamic modern dance, "The Party Started," with their interpretation of a medley of Shirley Bassey songs, including "Big Spender,"  The junior group had also won a first with their exciting dance, "Meltdown" to the theme music of the film, "Ice Age," while the Babes had won third prize with "Runaway Train."
The Gala performance will not be a show case for the elite, however, but a chance for all the dancers, aged from 2 to 50 something, to step on stage and show what they can do. In performing their "Sound of Music" routine, St Bees Seniors proved that dancing is as much about facial expressions as about movement of legs and arms.
 Step by Step run classes in Seascale, St Bees, Egremont and Cleator Moor, and each of the local classes, in each age group, had a routine to perform. The junior group danced tap with such vitality that it made us giddy to watch, and the youngest children took obvious delight in miming emotions and speech, the foundation of all communication. Step by Step is more concerned to teach these vital skills to all its children than to produce future ballerinas.

To find out more about Step by Step School of Dance, call Joanne Dougan on 01946 811183.

Cleator Moor Babes	Egremont Babes
St Bees Seniors in Sound of Music	Junior Tap