![Strictly stars Kristina Rihanoff and Tristan MacManus are coming to Welwyn Garden City [Picture: Elizabeth Irving] <i>(Image: Archant)</i>](/resources/images/15682116.jpg?type=mds-article-962)
Gifted performing arts students from Welwyn Hatfield will join former Strictly Come Dancing favourite Kristina Rihanoff when she appears on stage in Welwyn Garden City later this month.
Local youngsters will get to dance with television sensation and Strictly Come Dancing star Kristina Rihanoff as part of the Strictly Theatre Company’s UK tour in WGC.
Kristina and her partner Tristan MacManus, another former Strictly professional, will be appearing at the Hawthorne Theatre on Saturday, October 21, supported by students from Stagecoach Performing Arts Welwyn-Hatfield.
An Evening with Kristina Rihanoff & Tristan McManus will see the popular couple perform ballroom and Latin dance favourites including the Waltz, the Tango, the Samba, and the Rumba.
While Kristina and Tristan don their dancing shoes, Mark Read, former boyband member of A1, will host the show.
Students of Stagecoach Performing Arts Welwyn-Hatfield, aged between six and 16 years, will join Kristina and Tristan on stage for a rendition of Can’t Stop the Feelin’ by Justin Timberlake.
The children have been taking preparations very seriously, principal Kate Festa guiding them through a six-week rehearsal period every Saturday at Stagecoach Welwyn-Hatfield.
Known for Tangoing across the stage in Strictly, Kristina is a world famous professional ballroom dancer but also an enthusiastic, gifted instructor.
The opportunity arose from Kristina herself contacting Stagecoach with a desire to be involved in teaching again.
She will be working closely with Stagecoach students around the country during the tour to help develop their techniques.
Stagecoach Welwyn-Hatfield principal Kate Festa said: “This is a perfect opportunity for the next generation of budding young performing arts students to dance alongside one of their role models and, for some, make their professional debut.
“The children have been working really hard rehearsing for this performance and have loved every minute of it.
“They’ve learned so much from practising the different dancing disciplines and it will be wonderful to finally see the fruits of their labour.
“I’m sure their parents will feel really proud watching their kids dance across the stage with Kristina.”
Kate, herself a member of the Stagecoach family for 11 years, is a firm advocate of the life skills Stagecoach can give its students.
She added: “I fell in love with the passion and positivity that the performing arts can instil in children.
“The experience of working with Kristina and the opportunity to perform on a professional stage will give the students huge confidence that can transfer into other walks of life.”
• For more information about Stagecoach Welwyn-Hatfield, which has classes at Oaklands College, visit www.stagecoach.co.uk/welwynhatfield or call 01707 429777.
• ABOUT STAGECOACH
Stagecoach Performing Arts was founded in 1988 and is the UK’s largest network of extra-curricular performing arts schools for children.
With 300 principals and 2,500 teachers worldwide, Stagecoach operates over 600 schools and has a presence in eight countries including Canada, Germany, Malta, Spain, Gibraltar, Australia and South Africa.
Notable alumni are Emma Watson, Jamie Bell, Eleanor Tomlinson, Tuppence Middleton, Tom Fletcher, Dani Harmer, Josh Cuthbert, Danny Mac and Charlotte Jaconelli.
Find Stagecoach on Facebook at www.facebook.com/stagecoachtheatrearts and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/stagecoach_gbr
For more information visit the website www.stagecoach.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here