On Saturday, 1st December I visited The Silhouette Youth Theatre at their performance hub at the Weston Favell Shopping Centre in Northampton.
The Theatre is a performing arts school which is passionate about empowering young people and communities through their classes on the performing arts, dance, music and much more. On the day I sat down to speak with some of the many young people that attend the Theatre’s classes. I was given a real insight into how the performing arts is helping the children’s confidence and the skills they are gaining from the classes. I was very impressed by the work of the Youth Theatre and it was clear to see why they are so successful – over 100 children attend the Silhouette Theatre Company!
We were also treated to a special visit from the internationally renowned Nanjing Little Red Flower Art Troupe who performed at the hub inside Weston Favell Shopping Centre. The Little Red Flowers are an art troupe based in Nanjing, China who were the country’s first children’s art troupe to combine both cultural and art education. They also became the first Chinese children’s art troupe to visit a foreign country in 1978 and have since paid over 20 visits to Europe, Asia, America and Africa. Indeed, the Troupe have even performed for heads of state and at the Royal Albert Hall – and they can now say they have performed in Northampton! The performing arts has and continues to help many young people by giving them invaluable confidence and skills that they can use in later life and I am very happy to support such good initiatives in Northampton.