Dancing master celebrated at inaugural John Weaver Dance Festival

The inaugural John Weaver Dance Festival celebrated the Father of English Ballet’s legacy with a weekend full of events.  

This year, we are celebrating the 350th anniversary of John Weaver, the ‘dancing master’ of Shrewsbury from 1720 to 1760.  

Weaver was a highly esteemed choreographer and producer, creating works such as ‘The Loves of Mars and Venus’ and ‘Orpheus and Eurydice’ which were performed at the royal court and in the West End. He combined Italian Commedia dell’Arte with classical mythology and French court dance to create the first truly English ballet. He wanted to elevate dance to the same artistic status as theatre, believing that dance could communicate story and feeling without the commentary of speech or song. Weaver was also an accomplished writer and academic, developing his own system of dance notation, which is still used today. Dance is a uniquely transient art form, but Weaver’s system has enabled generations of choreographers to pass on their work to later dancers.  

We celebrated Weaver’s legacy with a series of events last weekend, including an exhibition of his work in the Moser Library, a lecture by renowned dance historian, Moira Goff, our inaugural dance competition and the annual dance showcase, which this year was inspired by Weaver’s influence on English ballet. 

The festival began with the showcase, which was performed to enthusiastic audiences on Friday and Saturday night. Over fifty students took part, which is testament to the growth of dance at Shrewsbury over the last few years under the inspirational leadership of Sian Stanhope and Olivia Jones. All of the performances demonstrated great skill and enthusiasm, from Clara G’s (G, V) jazz routine to the exquisite ballet solos of Emily M (MSH, LVI), Cordelia H (MSH, IV), Will O’H (Ch, IV) and Bethan R (EDH, III) and the dynamic hip hop trio of Rebekah L (M, V), Joey P (M, IV) and Nami C (MSH, IV). The finale of the showcase was a fantastic contemporary group number to ‘Bring me Out of the Dark’, performed by our Intermediate Contemporary Team.  

This team, alongside groups from six other schools across Shropshire, took part in Shrewsbury’s inaugural dance competition on Saturday. Moira Goff was joined as adjudicator by Rosie Price, a dancer and teacher from Elmhurst School of Ballet and Rambert School of Contemporary Dance. We welcomed competitors in all age groups from Primary to Senior, with the winners of each heat going through to the Grand Final on Sunday.  

The standard of competition was incredibly high, and it was wonderful to see so many students passionate about dance as an art form.  

On Sunday, we were delighted to welcome the Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire, Anna Turner, to present the Weaver Cup – and even more delighted when our team were announced as the overall winner! The adjudicators praised the piece’s imaginative and challenging choreography, and the emotional commitment of all the dancers.  

1st – Shrewsbury School  

2nd – Katie Crosland Dance Company 

3rd – Packwood Haugh  

We would like to thank all those who helped make the festival possible, particularly Maggie Love, Moira Goff, Rosie Price, Anna Turner, Laura Whitrick, and all the participants. 

Helen Brown

Deputy Head (Co-Curricular)

Watch a recap from the John Weaver Dance Festival here: