Welcome to Tiny Steps dance performances! A variety of dance performances especially for adults and babies/very young children to enjoy together.
We welcome a wide range of professional dance performers and companies - contemporary, classical ballet, ballroom, Russian Folk, release-based and jazz etc. Bristol performances are held at Redland Park United Reformed Church, Whiteladies Road, Bristol.
We are currently starting locally and hoping to be successful and take our shows around South West or even nationally.
Our events are aimed at the 0-8 age group, but older siblings are welcome too.
You won't be disappointed. Come and enjoy our lovely, technical dancing, acting, singing, story telling and learn a few dance moves together with your little ones! Enjoy our cakes at the end!
“Tiny Steps Performances were created by mum, professional dancer and founder of OvDa Dance Company, Svetlana Ovsyannikova, who lives in Bristol with her husband Ben and her little girl, Amaya and baby boy, Rupert.
Many Bristol Mum readers will also know Svetlana through Dance Mums: classes for mums and toddlers at The Elephant House on Thursday mornings.
Svetlana created Tiny Steps performances to inspire, share passion for dance and to merge the gap between performers and the audience at performances which is why all Tiny Steps performances are interactive and encourage children to join in with the music and dancing!
In today’s post I interview Svetlana to find out more about the latest Tiny Steps Performance…
I am really pleased to hear that Tiny Steps is back again, Svetlana! What have you prepared for our Bristol audience this time?
Thank you Hilary. Our last show, with Southwest Dance Theatre and Ben Nash as a producer, fused a variety of dance styles yet proved to be one of our most successful yet.
So now I am really excited to offer a show featuring Bob Fosse Jazz with lots of theatrical elements like drama, singing and dancing in our usual relaxed setting of the Redland United Reformed church.
What is the new Tiny Steps Performance called and what’s it about?
It is called ” Magic to do” – The highlights from the musical Pippin. The show focuses on our young audience, with a shorter attention span, and that is why it lasts 25-30 minutes. Only the most suitable songs and dance routines will be featured in our show in order to fully captivate the children.
The show is about a young boy, Pippin, who is facing a lot of issues as all children do while they are growing up such as figuring out the meaning of life, conflicts, belonging to the society, love, father and son relationship.
The aim of the performance is to engage, inspire and entertain children and to spend a lovely Saturday morning being absorbed in the world of dance, this time Jazz and Theatre.
What format will the performance follow?
The performance will follow the same format as other Tiny Steps performances: introduction and welcome, performance, the interactive part where children can join in with the performers and learn some simple dance steps, all followed by tea and coffee with homemade cakes!
What ages is the performance aimed at?
0-8 years old but older siblings and parents will surely enjoy it as well.
Will there be singing as well as dancing and acting?
Yes, it is basically a shortened version of a wonderful musical for them to enjoy.
Have you produced this show again? Who will be performing in it?
No, this time it is not me producing the show, Penny Caffrey – the artistic director of Movema – is the one to blame for it!
Penny works with students from South Gloucester and Stroud College in Bristol on different productions, so this is one of them. The students are all talented individuals who are excited to share this performance with our audience.
Svetlana, you always come up with new ideas for exciting shows for children, what drives you?
I love Dance and performance it is a part of me, even though my own dance company OvDa is a contemporary Dance company, Tiny Steps is an important production for me.
I have two children now and being a parent does shift your perspective on a lot of things. One of the issues I found for myself and my children is lack of accessible and affordable dance and theatre productions.
Also, I would like local dance artists and companies to be get involved and to share their skills and work with us.
Tiny Steps Performances is a very promising and exciting company in Bristol. I know the last two shows were sold out, do you think your success will continue?
I sure hope so, we work really hard for it to carry on. At the moment it has its ups and downs as any beginning enterprise, sadly we can’t commit to monthly performances, but we would really like to in the future!
We are learning from our audience as well as educating them at the same time, somethings work and some don’t. Of course the main thing for us to exist is Bristol families’ support and desire to attend the shows. So if anyone has any ideas for a captivating show I would love to hear them.
There are so many positive and pretty amazing testimonials of Tiny Steps, do you mind if I share some here?
Not at all, Thank you Bristol Mum for your support. We hope to see lots of Bristol families and happy children’s faces at our upcoming shows, please remember to buy tickets in advance as it helps us know how many cakes to bake and teas to make!
“What a lovely event! My daughters were mesmerised by the dancing and could have watched it all day. It was lovely to see a genuinely family friendly event, with colourful costumes, interesting music and joyful performing. We are looking forward to coming again! – Jenna”
“I took my children to see The Enormous Turnip performed by Tiny Steps Performances and it was fantastic! It was entertaining, funny and the dancers are amazing, plus my little girl loved being able to join in at the end Would definitely recommend seeing a Tiny Steps performance if you have young children. -Hilary”
“It was amazing. Very well done. Perfect length of time as well to keep the interest of a 2 and 4-year-old. I love that the kids could come on stage after the show to try some of the moves. Looking forward to more performances. thank you! – Emily”
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visit new website: http://www.ovdadance.com/tiny-steps/
Article by Bristolmum blogger: https://bristolmum.com/2017/04/12/magic-to-do-a-magical-new-tiny-steps-performance-for-children-families/