OVER 70 performing arts students rounded off a successful series of summer schools with two blistering musical performances. Pure Rhythm School of Arts children spent a fortnight learning about stage craft and performance skills. And they put those skills

OVER 70 performing arts students rounded off a successful series of summer schools with two blistering musical performances.

Pure Rhythm School of Arts children spent a fortnight learning about stage craft and performance skills. And they put those skills to good use with two Friday night performances.

The younger students performed Roald Dahl's Little Red Riding Hood; the older students put on Simply Musicals, a show of various drama pieces linking together musical song and dances from musicals such as The Little Shop of Horrors, Saturday Night Fever and Fame.

Pure Rhythm principal and choreographer, Sue Raven, said: "The students had terrific success and performed with wonderful costumes. They felt very proud of the finished performance.

"I was astounded at the amount of work they got through each week to perform the two shows."

Pure Rhythm - which is based in Castle Street, Saffron Walden - offers its students a host of different workshops. Lindsey Dillon, a film editor for Channel 4, spent two Saturdays with the students while they made advertisements, news reels and weather forecasts to make a video of a typical day on their own TV channel, PureRhythm TV.

Next term Pure Rhythm students will be given a workshop by Chloe Hart, the newly-cast 'Tracy Turnblad' from the West End production of Hairspray.