Wednesday Wonder- The Next Step Live On Stage: Talent, Teamwork and a Tonne of Fun (Review)

Hello Internet!

I hope you are having a great week wherever you are in the world 😀😀😀. It's Wednesday, so that means it's blog time in my world 😄

Over the weekend, I was super busy finishing up some things on my never-ending to-do list and enjoying some extra relaxation time before university started again this week.

But the absolute highlight of my weekend was going to see the cast of my guilty pleasure TV show The Next Step perform LIVE (yes, that means in person) at their final Australian show in Melbourne on Sunday night!

For those of you who maybe didn't get a chance to see the show or just want to read about a super fun time, I thought I would put together a little review for y'all.

Caution: My inner fangirl is about to be unleashed so you have been warned 😝😝😝

Without further ado, here is my review of The Next Step Live On Stage 2017:
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What do you get when you put 10 phenomenally talented Canadian dancers and 2 kooky Australian hosts in a room full of extremely excited people for 2 hours of hilarious shenanigans? The Next Step Live On Stage 2017… and a slight headache.

But I didn’t really notice the head pain because I was too busy genuinely enjoying myself from my seat in the very back row of the Hamer Hall stalls.

I had arguably one of the best views in the house and no chance of ever making awkward eye contact with any of the cast…. I like to be an embarrassing fangirl from a distance y’all.

I also didn’t take any photos during the show because I don’t really trust the quality of my iPod’s zoom function. 

But I also wanted to authentically enjoy the experience in the moment because seeing these lovely people in person was something pretty remarkable for fangirls like myself.

For those of you who don't know, The Next Step Live On Stage 2017 was a brand new stage show that allowed fans to get up close and personal with their favourite cast members from hit Canadian teen dance show The Next Step.

This show starred Lamar Johnson (West), Isaac Lupien (Eldon), Shelby Bain (Amy), Brittany Raymond (Riley), Myles Erlick (Noah), Trevor Tordjman (James), Victoria Baldesarra (Michelle), Isaiah Peck (Henry), Jordan Clark (Giselle) and Briar Nolet (Richelle); each with an infectious stage presence and some pretty cool dance moves.

Long story short, every single dance number was flawless. The versatility of styles on display blew me away, and every one of the dancers killed it from start to finish. Please don’t ask me to pick a favourite dance… my answer will be ALL OF THEM.

10 dancers from the popular teen dance show The Next Step travelled all the way from Canada to perform a fun and energetic live show full of awesome dancing and crazy hijinks.
Source: https://www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/event-archive/2017/dance/the-next-step

Each of the soloists were breathtaking and powerful. Between Isaac's insane precision, Victoria's emotional control, Jordan's expressive grace, Briar's vulnerable strength and Lamar's effortlessly cool vibe; it was an awesome rollercoaster of emotions.

But as brilliant as each cast member is individually, the true star of this show was their natural chemistry and the effortless way they all worked together as a unit.

The two duets were supremely entertaining and the dynamic connection between the pairs could have powered a small country for an eternity.

Briar and Myles performed a beautiful contemporary piece with a tonne of amazing tricks, whilst Trevor and Brittany brought the groovy vibes with a playful and immensely popular hip-hop number towards the end of the night.

The small group numbers also had a strong chemistry game and I thoroughly enjoyed how each one had a really eclectic character and style.

Isaiah, Lamar and Trevor brought the funk with an insane Bruno Mars and Michael Jackson mashup, whilst Shelby, Brittany, Victoria, Jordan and Briar channeled their inner diva with their sassy Beyonce number.

During the second half of the show, Isaac and the girls' intimate ‘Piano’ number provided a unique emotional moment that moved everyone in the audience and included some pretty impressive lifts.

💃💃💃💃💃

The variety of dance styles on display was also entertaining in the larger group dances, with the cast proving that they truly are a jack of all trades.

Opener Take It To The Top and closer Stand Up showcased some extra fun and bubbly choreography, and Lovestoned/I Think She Knows was especially funky, upbeat and creative to watch.

In stark contrast, Firefly was eerily dreamy and futuristic with its all white costuming and intense glances into the middle distance.

Arguably, the most creative number of the night was the 'Making Music' dance.

A broom, an egg shaker and an acoustic guitar combined with some crazy tapping and beatboxing to create some clever musical points in amongst some wild dancing and partner work.

But when they weren’t dancing, these crazy kids were also making us laugh with their infectious sense of humour. Their side-splitting shenanigans included a moment where Trevor and Myles provided a little rap/beatboxing interlude, and Trevor revealed some incredibly questionable but amusing singing skills.

Another wonderful addition to the show was the contagious energy of Disney Channel Australia’s Adam Roberts and Ash Wells. 

As the regular hosts of after-school show Hanging With, they knew exactly how to keep everyone excited in between dances with hilarious conversations and the craziest dance battle of all time.

They also had a really great connection with the dancers and it was so sweet to see how well they get on despite having only known each other for a small amount of time.

Disney Channel Australia's Hanging With hosts Adam and Ash swapped the couch for the stage, performing alongside the cast as hosts of TNS Live 2017.
Source: https://disneychannel.disney.com.au/hanging-with/

A huge congratulations must also be given to the lighting/production team behind the scenes. The production was absolutely astounding with all the different colours and effects – y’all have truly outdone yourselves. Especially during Isaac and Jordan’s solos, the projections and lighting accents took the pieces to a whole new level of incredible.

An empty Hamer Hall after the show ended and a lot of kids and adults had gone home very happy campers

The show was sweet and enjoyable fun that both kids and adults were able to enjoy with ease. All the mums and dads were having just as much fun as us young’uns, even if they won’t admit it 😉 

The screams from the kids were reaching crazy frequencies at times. The energy in Hamer Hall was buzzing with admiration and adulation. There was a moment where I thought the Melbourne crowd were going to take the roof off that place… quite literally.

Apart from Trevor’s dubious singing skills, I couldn’t find a fault with the show. It was a fantastic 2 hours of pure joy and happiness; and I now have permanent wrinkles on my face from smiling so damn hard. Definitely well worth the wait and the slight pain in my head 💜💙💚
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So there ya have it guys, I hope you enjoyed that review and I apologise for being a fangirl. Please share and recommend to friends -  I would really appreciate it 💗

Question(s) of the Day: 
1. If you watch The Next Step, who is your favourite cast member? I honestly can't decide, they are all AMAZING🌟
2. If you have no idea what The Next Step is and just read this because you are a nice person, what is your guilty pleasure TV show? Don't be shy, we all have one 😉

Let me know your answers and any other thoughts you have in the comments section below, or you can contact/follow me on Instagram (@miss_memphis98) 😀

Thanks for reading, you are a gem ✨

Love and fangirl squeals, Emily xxx 💃