A TEACHER at a Clydebank dance school has told of her “delight” at seeing students perform in front of a live audience for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

Students at Dance OFF Academy, located on Kilbowie Road, dazzled crowds in December with an in-person showcase.

The performance took place over two years since the academy’s last on-stage show in June 2019, at Glasgow’s Mitchell Theatre.

Teacher Lesley Murray said: “We had the show in June and then we managed the panto at Christmas and then after that we were like right one year and we’ll be back on stage and now we’re going on two years.

“If we get in the Mitchell this June that’s three years since we’ve had an actual on-stage show. It’s such a shame for them.”

Students at the dance school work towards two big performances each year, the first being a show in the summer and the second a pantomime at Christmas.

However, lockdown saw both events cancelled.

Classes moved online during this time and Lesley, who has been a part of Dance OFF for 18 years, explained it became “harder” to keep everyone motivated.

The 39-year-old said: “Going from having studios and such structured classes to then bringing it into everybody’s living room at home felt a little bit strange but it was a tiny sense of normality. I think everyone was just sick of sitting in the house.”

The inspiration for the showcase was sparked after the academy realised the pantomime would not be able to go ahead for the second year in a row.

Lesley, who grew up in Clydebank and now lives in Duntocher, said the driving force behind the event – which took place at Clydebank Leisure Centre – was that studio staff felt pupils needed to “show off” what they had been working on.

She added: “I think they deserved to have an audience and the recognition that they’ve all been working towards so we just pulled out all the stops. [We] couldn’t find a stage, couldn’t find a theatre and managed to come up with the next best thing so it worked out great.”

Reflecting on the showcase Lesley said she is “just so proud” of everyone.

Lesley said: "I think for us it was kind of like doing a first show all over again, it’s what we’ve missed, it was just surreal.