A DANCE school in Clacks refused to let Covid-19 restrictions scupper plans for its biennial dance show.

The show went on at Alloa Ballet Company, which was due to perform at the Macrobert Arts Centre in Stirling earlier in March.

While the show could not go ahead due to restrictions, dance school principal Heather Shrimpton was determined to go ahead with a show in the studio in a bid to let her students shine.

Indeed, the young students were hard at work, learning and rehearsing their routines online via Zoom between January and Easter.

Luckily, the studio was allowed to re-open in late April with Heather and her team impressed by the progress made on their version of the Nutcracker.

With a show date provisionally set for early June, fingers and toes were crossed that it would not have to be cancelled.

Over the weekend of June 5 and 6, cameras were set up in the studio with a different dance class arriving every half an hour for one last rehearsal and filming.

Some proud and socially distancing parents were also in attendance with smiles all around.

Heather said: “It may not have been our usual show, but there was so much laughter, tears and pride from parents, pupils and teachers; it certainly had the buzz of showtime.

“Our Alloa Ballet Company dance family is finally back together again doing what it does best: dance!”

She added: "Everyone felt so downhearted about theatres closing and performances being cancelled – we just haven't been able to do any of that."

While holding rehearsals on Zoom had its challenges, the sessions were a lifeline for many.

Heather said: "We started teaching it online which had its own issues because we had to try get everything reversed or set in the studio when people were maybe doing it back-to-front on Zoom."