Are you ready for the time of your life?
Well these kids are, and they want to take you along for the ride.
Twinkletoes 2025 kicks off a three-day run at the Winter Gardens tonight, with 350 local youngsters taking the Blackpool Opera House by storm.
Staged once every two years by Fleetwood’s Barbara Jacksons Theatre Art Centre, Twinkletoes is a dazzling celebration of music and dance, showcasing the extraordinary talent and dedication of the school’s students and teachers.
From toe-tapping musical favourites through emotional ballet and lyrical numbers to fist pumping contemporary hits, this show is the best yet.
The senior tappers kick us off, delivering a pacey and energetic medley from the musical Newsies. A fun opener with some great props, including an impressive sequence with some chairs, the joyful section finale leaves the audience wanting more.
But there’s no time to waste as the beautiful lyrical ensemble take to the stage with a gentle three-part interpretation of Taylor Swift’s Never Grow Up.
Next up is everyone’s favourite bit, the baby ballet. Tiny tots aged from two to four toddle into position wearing adorable fluffy emerald-green tutus for their Wizard of Oz number.
Enjoying their first taste of the big stage, some hold earnest looks of concentration while others appear quite lost, both reactions eliciting oohs and aahs from across the auditorium. If you’re clever enough to have bagged a ticket, I challenge you not to wave back as they peer into the audience searching for a familiar face.
An array of little dancers take their turn to shine as we follow Dorothy along the Yellow Brick Road, each brightly coloured costume and smiling face as delightful as the next.
The tempo then ratchets up with the intermediate tap and their Hollywood Wiz, full of glitter, sparkle and enormous smiles beaming from the spangle-clad tweens and teens.
From there we romp through a delicious Wonka medley from the delightful diddies who can’t help but sing along to the music, and the impressive lifts and precision choreo from their older counterparts, all wrapped in Cadbury-purple and gold costumes.
The stunning senior ballerinas arrive to take your breath away with their Bridgerton-inspired piece, evoking the splendour of the Regency ballroom in a whirlwind of elegance; delicate and powerful in equal measure.
Hit fast forward and dial up the sass for the mini’s Barbie number, living their best lives in pink combats and pigtails, with a confidence that will have you laughing out loud. They provide the introduction for the senior commercial team’s All of the Lights, who perform a feisty number that wouldn’t look out of place in the final of a TV talent show, such is its professionalism. These girls rule!
Last up before the interval is a fantastic acro performance with four crews of gym dancers showing off their enviable tumbling skills to the powerful music of Pirates of the Caribbean.
After the break be prepared for some feline surprises in the aisles as the intermediate modern girls open the second half with a riot of numbers from Cats. It’s easy to believe you’re in the West End when faced with the brilliant be-wigged kitties and their high-energy routines, edged with a little comedy and some moving solos, ending with a haunting performance of Memory under the low spotlight from singer Shinaya Hunte.
Villains is the theme for the junior tappers, with fabulous synchro sequences featuring Wednesday, Cruella Deville and a Rotten to the Core section finale to really get the blood pumping.
The senior gym dancers bring the magic of Avatar to life in a stunning under-the-sea performance where shoals of sequinned nymphs and the elegant Na’vi in their graceful illuminated wings, undulate in perfect harmony.
The watery theme continues in the gentle Little Mermaid junior ballet, which delights with adorable ensembles, delightful solos and wave after wave of swoon-worthy costumes.
Outro from the senior contemporary girls is simply mesmerising, delicate and soft one moment, powerful and moving the next. Always my favourite number of the night, its subtle eloquence bringing a lump to the throat and a tear to the eye.
There’s hardly a moment to recover before the commercial kids burst out from the wings bringing all their favourite Meghan Trainor songs to the stage, having a great time with every pout and punch and sashay and flick.
And all too soon we’re at the finale and a disco of Divas featuring music from Madonna, Lady Gaga and Whitney Houston, more stunning costumes and impeccable sequences from the senior and intermediate girls.
Sixteen brilliantly choreographed numbers, 300 tired but exhilarated kids, over 1800 spectacular costumes, thousands of hours of prep from hundreds of dedicated parents, friends and volunteers, and three hours of increasingly impressive performances.
If you think you can handle it, tickets are still available from the Winter Gardens Box Office for Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 7pm, and the 2pm Saturday matinee.
6. Contributed
Twinkletoes 2025 featuring 350 pupils of Fleetwood's Barbara opens tonight at the Winter Gardens Photo: Submitted