A NEWPORT dance school put on their first and final show of the year – but things were very different.

Sharon Higgins Academy of Dance, who regularly use the Dolman Theatre for classes and annual performances, decided to put on a performance to mark the end of 2020.

However, due to coronavirus regulations, they had to perform to an audience of zero.

The students had started preparing for this show early in the year before the pandemic took hold of the world.

“We would have had our school show in July, which involves the little ones aged three up right to the seniors,” said Mrs Higgins.

“Unfortunately, like everything else, it had to be cancelled. We had date after date where we kept postponing it and it just got to the point where we thought we cannot just keep cancelling this show.

“Obviously, the children have got costumes and so on. So, we decided, with the help of the theatre, we’re going to bring each group in separately – socially distanced, Covid-regulations in place

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Each performance, which took place last month, was recorded and edited together to show what the full show would have been so the parents could have a DVD of the children performing.

“Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be put to an audience so this is the best that we could do in this situation," said Mrs Higgins.

“As they say the show will go on, and we will return. We were determined at some point those children were going to have a show and this was our way of doing it”.

Children coming into the theatre on the day were dropped of at the entrance by their parents, temperatures were taken at the door with a hand sanitiser station ready to use.

Dances were choreographed to keep social distancing in mind.