Opportunity knocked for Woking dancer Emma Lewis during her summer holiday – and she took full advantage.
The 15-year-old was on a trip to Barcelona in Spain when she was emailed by her dance school, telling her there was a chance to perform in a touring production of David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny. “They emailed a video of how the dance should go,” she explains. “I got the message on the Tuesday and by Friday I had learned it in my hotel room. Then, when I got home I filmed it and sent it off. “It didn’t interrupt the holiday too much, I learnt it while we were waiting for lunch and things like that.”
It was worth the effort as Emma was selected to perform when Gangsta Granny visits Woking’s New Victoria Theatre. Emma, who trains with the Susan Robinson School of Ballet in Byfleet, is looking forward to the experience but she’s a seasoned performer having danced with the Bolshoi and Northern Ballet and appeared in the dance prom at the Royal Albert Hall.
“I’ve been dancing since I was two,” she explains. “I really want to go into musical theatre and dancing as a career. I’m auditioning for musical theatre and drama colleges now but I won’t know where I’m going until next summer. “I really enjoy modern and jazz dance, I find that really fun. I used to prefer ballet but now I enjoy modern dance more, especially as it works well with musical theatre. I also like singing, so I’d like to try every type of theatre performance as I train.”
Her appearance at the New Victoria Theatre is sure to attract lots of friends and relatives – the teenager lives in Mayford and attends Christ College in Guildford.
As for the show, Gangsta Granny is based on the book by Little Britain star Walliams, and Emma says: “I’ve read the book and, although I don’t know the stage show too well, I think my main scene will be where the parents are dancing badly but thinking they’re really good…and then my character shows them up.
“David Walliams is a really good writer, I’ve really enjoyed his books. Gangsta Granny is about a boy who goes to his grandparents and thinks they’re really boring until he discovers a secret – his granny is a thief and steals things. Together they hatch a plan to steal the crown jewels…”
Gangsta Granny will be at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking, from Wednesday (14 Sep) until Saturday 18 September. Emma Lewis will dance in the performances from Friday to Sunday.