Lights, Camera, Action!: Behind the Scenes with Paddington Arts Students

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By: Sami Mahfood

 

The magic of the performing arts often unfolds in the spotlight, but the real story begins behind the curtain. Every standing ovation is built on countless hours of hard work, creativity, and collaboration by passionate students dedicated to their craft. But what inspired these kids to take this journey into performance? And how has Paddington Arts been a beacon for them to express themselves?

Last Thursday, me and my colleague Karina had the pleasure of interviewing some of the older Paddington Arts students and asked them about their journey through this program. We wanted to focus on the impact that Paddington Arts has had on them, so we stuck to one simple yet significant question:

What skills or lessons did you learn at Paddington Arts that you still use today?

When asked this question, 19 year old Zion responded with “It’s [Paddington Arts] helped me with my people skills and actually like working within a team. So us like making choreography, putting in input, helping each other with what looks good and what looks bad”.

Shanice, 23, started paddington arts at 10 and is currently a GE manager at a restaurant. She responded to our question saying “I feel like the lesson I learnt through dancing, especially for me anyway, is a big stress relief. So I feel like if I’m stressed with anything or if anyone else is stressed with anything, the best thing to do is just dance”.

Jackson 19, who started when he was 5 says, “I was learning how to public speak and be confident in front of people, I’ve definitely used that skill up till now”. Similarly, 19 year old Joshua, “learned how to be more creative and confident in my ongoing life”. 

Elina, 21, started Paddington Arts at 16, “learned skills off my teacher on how to choreograph, so now I create routines with my other dance groups and I’m able to teach”.

Through these responses we are able to see the importance of performing arts and how it contributes to our growth as people and adds to our character. Below is a compiled picture of these talented dancers who have evolved their talents through Paddington Arts.

Pictured left to right – Joshua, Shanice, Zion, Elina, and Jackson.