one4review | On 24, Aug 2014

Getting children from age four to fourteen to do the same thing can seem like herding cats. Yet if that’s the case, guitarist Ricardo Garcia and dancer Frederic Gomez, aided by costume lady Julie Gunn, rounded up twenty or so eager kittens, pointed them in the right direction, and had them clapping and stomping along at quite an impressive approximation of the rhythm.

The explanations were generally very clear, the pace worked well, moving from clapping, though arm waving, to stamping at different paces. One small issue is splitting the focus on attention – Gomez demonstrating is in front of the children, while Garcia is behind, doing the explanations. Some of the youngsters don’t know which way to look.

After a rehearsal or two with all their different skills, the children get dressed up in frilly red and pink dresses, or hats and capes, and do the final “show.” There’s even time for an encore, before the final demonstration dance from Gomez.

Some very happy children went home, and as parents, we can all only hope that our children don’t decide to practise their stamping too early next morning.

Reviewed by Gill

C Venues – C

16:55 to 17:50