More than 100 young performers from The Drusilla Duffill Theatre School will take to the stage in a vibrant and heartfelt celebration of the school’s late founder, Drusilla Duffill.
00:00Good afternoon, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers.
00:06It's lovely this afternoon to speak to Vicky Harris, Principal of the Drusilla Duffield Theatre School.
00:11And you've got something very, very special coming up, haven't you?
00:14A show in celebration, vibrant, heartfelt celebration, the school's late founder, Drusilla, who is your mother?
00:22Tell me why this is going to be so significant and so special.
00:26It's coming up at the halls, isn't it, on July the 5th and 6th?
00:30Yeah, this is a pure celebration of dance and the legacy that my mum, Drusilla Duffield, left behind.
00:36You know, it's about how we dance through life and how that she danced through her life.
00:42And, you know, she set up her school at 15 years old in Burgess Hill.
00:4668 years ago, we were working at it.
00:48Yes, 68 years ago. And we're still going strong because she's almost given us those gifts and that we're taking it into the next generation.
00:58We've got actually grandparents now in the school, you know, as in the generation has gone through.
01:05So we've got the grandchildren. Yeah. So the grandparents were the pupils and now we've got the grandchildren.
01:11So there's a real lineage through our school.
01:13And many teachers were taught by my mum, Ms. Drusilla.
01:17So we know her attention to detail.
01:21But the whole point of Dancing Through Life at the Horth on the 5th and 6th of July is basically about, you know, how much joy it brings to everybody.
01:30It's a celebration.
01:31Yeah, it's about her dedication, but it's in memory.
01:35We've got the most beautiful dances in it.
01:38One particularly is a rose ballet choreographed by her and the absolute artistry of it.
01:45And, you know, the way that she flowed her sequences around, you know, it's truly Ms. Drusilla.
01:52It's truly my mum's choreography. You couldn't miss it.
01:56Well, tell me more about how all these people will be remembering your mum, the qualities she had that enabled her to do what she did.
02:03Yeah. So she believed in every pupil.
02:06She believed in everybody being able to find their talents, what they're good at, if they went on to a dance career or not.
02:16She built confidence in the children.
02:18And, you know, some of them started at three and they go through sometimes to 16 or 18 years old.
02:24And, you know, they've gone on and they've been supported in the way that they can bring out the best of themselves and whatever they do.
02:33You know, it's really interesting, you know, to think that how many generations have been through and where they've led to and all the different jobs and roles they've done.
02:42But I think, you know, the show, the show is really in dedication to what she's given so many pupils, thousands of pupils over the years.
02:52And there's often a lot of people that come back to see the show because it brings back those happy memories.
02:58You know, she was so caring and so loving.
03:01And you were saying she would love the fact that the show is happening.
03:03But she would be sitting at the back being full of pride, full of joy for everybody that's participating and not forgetting.
03:11Remember, it's the backstage crew as well.
03:14There's a whole thing that goes on backstage that the audience don't see, which is have our wonderful chaperones, our teachers and our stage crew that are creating this behind the scenes.
03:24And it's like a whole family, the DDTS family come together, you know, it's she would be so proud, so proud.
03:34And, you know, and it is a year since she's passed and, you know, and we miss her dearly.
03:39But she's in all of us.
03:41She is so in all of us.
03:42It's a lovely thing to do, lovely thing to be able to do.
03:46It sounds the perfect way to remember and with the fondest love.
03:50So it's Dancing Through Life.
03:52It's going to be at the Horses in Crawley on July the 5th and the 6th.
03:56Really sweet to speak to you and I'm sure it's going to be a wonderful occasion.
