Move It 2025 saw Performers College students shine on the main and showcase stages all weekend, including Friday’s piece Miss Defoe. Choreographed by alumni Billy Roy Sawyer and assisted by Devon Young, Miss Defoe included Trinity College Diploma in Musical Theatre and Dance students Lily and Izzy. We caught up with them to hear about their Move It experience.
HAVE YOU PERFORMED AT MOVE IT BEFORE?
Lily: I have never even been to move it before, this was my first experience! I do hope I get to experience it again, it felt like the place to be like everyone around me understood and supported me. The atmosphere was great and getting to perform with my PCol family was so much fun.
Izzy: I have done move it before a few times before I came to Performers College, however, the experience this time felt so much more fun and organised, this year was very special to me as I hadn’t done it at all the year before and I realised how much I enjoyed it and missed it.
Izzy and Lily warm up backstage at Move It.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO WORK WITH THE CHOREOGRAPHER AND OTHER PROFESSIONALS?
Lily: Billy Sawyer and Devon Young worked me to my maximum, they taught me so many valuable things, but the most important was the ‘why’. They taught us that there should always be a reason why we are performing and it’s up to us to show this, they were so inspirational.
Izzy: Working with Billy and Devon was an experience like no other to know that Billy went to Performers too and had been in our shoes made it even more inspiring to know how hard he has worked to get to where he is now. They were both so supportive and have taught me the resilience and strength you need for this industry which will stay with me throughout my future career.
Working with Keeley East and Ethan Benchley on Sunday’s performance, The Door, was such an inspiring experience. Learning and getting to witness their creative minds and how they think so out of the box is amazing. They also make the rehearsal room comfortable but make us work to our full potential to always make sure we are pushing for more.
Izzy and Lily backstage at Move It
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE PART OF THE REHEARSAL PROCESS?
Lily: My favourite part was getting to work with the third-year diploma students and meet new people. Being mixed with students who aren’t on my course or come from a different campus really pushed me and made me realise how intense and versatile the industry can be which I think was reflected in our performance.
Izzy: My favourite part about both rehearsal processes was that as a diploma I am usually in a bubble with the other diploma students, and I am rarely mixed with the degrees so it was so nice to really get to know all of them and make many new friends and being able to assess how I feel working around or with new people I might have been nervous around.
Lily performs on the main stage at Move It.
HOW DID IT FEEL TO PERFORM ON THE MAIN STAGE TO A HUGE CROWD?
Lily: People say time flies when you’re having fun, and it went by so fast! All I could focus on was being in the moment and before I knew it, the routine was over. The group came together to celebrate what we achieved together as a team. It was such a special Moment!
Izzy: Doing the final performance to such a big crowd of others who love dance as much as we all do was such an incredible experience that felt so surreal – I came off the stage and thought to myself ‘That really just happened!’ I feel so proud to also be representing my college and at that moment I feel honoured that the choreographers believed that I could execute their choreography to their standards.
Izzy performs on the main stage at Move It.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE EXTRA OPPORTUNITIES YOU GET ON YOUR COURSE?
Lily: The opportunities are great, especially now that I’m in my second year. Auditions are rolling in, and I’m getting to work with a vast variety of creatives and choreographers. Not knowing what the week could hold for us is something I look forward to at Performers College. You never know what opportunity could unfold, so continuing to work hard for every creative is so important.
Miss Defoe cast backstage at Move It
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE TRINITY DIPLOMA COURSE IN ESSEX?
Lily: As soon as I came here, I knew I wanted to enrol here. The staff, students, and everyone who was a part of the audition process was so welcoming, as well as the vast opportunities and alumni success, Performers was the place for me!
Izzy: I chose the diploma course because, as well as getting the same opportunities as degree students, we are a smaller collective which makes me feel that teachers know us better individually. Diploma students also get more contact hours which I believe was beneficial for me to develop over the last three years as I hadn’t done many dance styles before coming to college, so this has enabled me to feel more confident going out into the industry as I’ll be more versatile.
To discover more about Performers College, including auditions and how to apply, contact us at [email protected] or you can Apply Now, or book an Open Day on our Events page.
