In The Spotlight - Natalie Hallam

How long have you been performing in shows
Since I was knee hight to a grasshopper!! From the age of 3 I told my Mummy I wanted to be a ballerina and she took me to The Loughborough Academy of Dance when I was 5. I wanted to join an amateur dramatics society when I was 16 but Mum said I had to finish school first, so I then joined GP in 2009

What got you interested in music / theatre
Music has always been a big part of my life. My dad was a local DJ (back in the day) so I've been surrounded by it forever, wouldn't have it any other way though, and well I can't say exactly what got me interested in dancing when I was 3, pretty pink tutu's and silver shoes that made lots of noise maybe? But I think as I got older and became more involved with my dancing I wanted to take it that one step further. I'd seen many shows in Loughborough and thought "I could do that too"

What was your first show
My first dance show was 'Gotta Sing Gotta Dance' and I performed in two numbers, one Tap and one Ballet and my first show with GP was Fame!!

What has been your favourite show and/or character and why
The first character I played was the little boy in The Snowman, an Acrobatics dance The Loughborough Academy of Dance took to a competition in Blackpool. Can't beat running around on stage in your PJ's, dressing gown and slippers :) We came 3rd out of over 50 troops as well which was a great achievement. West Side Story (May 2011) was probably my favourite show, maybe more so for the banter and fun that happened backstage :D Go Jetettes!! The show is also an incredible piece of theatre, I'll never forget some of the faces of the cast during the Saturday night finale...emotional to say the least. I was very proud to be apart of it and also to be given my first character part. I loved playing Graziella and wearing her costumes too. Thank you Shane.

What has been your most embarassing or funniest moment in a show
Luckily I don't think I've done anything to embarrassing on stage, although It would be amusing to be able to say I went on stage with the wrong costume on, or forgot a load of lines or fell over but touch wood everything has been sort of ok so far. If anything the worst moment on stage was during the Saturday night performance of West Side Story. James had stood on and tore my dress earlier in the number, then when it came time for our duet lifts somehow (still unsure how to this day) managed to get his foot struck in the small hole that had appeared due to the rip and confusion and kerfuffle stuck us both!! Everyone said that is wasn't that noticeable. A few months later the DVD of WSS arrived....It really was that bad and re-living it was probably worse than when it happened!! The dress had to be paid for too when it was returned, I am very sorry about that.

Describe the best and worst costumes you have had to wear
Over the 16years I've been dancing there have been many costumes I've loved and other's that I've forgotten about very quickly. Some of my favourites have been: a black tutu, Pink majorettes coat, hat and boots to go with a white tutu and pink sparkly baton with tassels of course! Any costume that was green ranks highly along with Fame because you can wear as many colours as you like and it's accepted and my Graziella dresses, I so wanted to keep them...and like I said the bad ones have been forgotten, or remain on a VHS and are now unwatchable!

What has been your proudest moment
An off stage moment, stood in the wings watching my babes class performing for their first time on stage the first dance I'd solely choreographed. Teaching them weekly was so rewarding, watching them develop and learning knew skills was a great feeling but seeing them on the stage, oh I felt like a proud parent :) It's great when a child's parent congratulates you as well. It's a great time for them too as they get to see what their child has achieved over the months of early morning Saturday classes and they're so very thankful to the teachers. Hopefully my next proudest moment will be the first time I walk the 6ft high tightrope, forwards then backwards in our next show Carousel....Watch this space!

If you could choose any show to perform in, what would it be and why
Chicago! The music in this show is fantastic, the story line is brilliant and the dance numbers and choreography could be incredible!! Plus the outfits wouldn't be too bad either. But seriously I think any show that I get to be a part of will be great. Doing Parade (Oct 2010) opened my eyes to an unheard of yet truly amazing piece of theatre, so yes it's great to put on a show that everyone knows and loves but it's even more fulfilling to put on a great show that not many people of heard of but everyone is talking about afterwards.

Do you have any plans to pursue theatre as a career
I've dabbled in dance teaching but other than that no I don't think so. I've always found that the stage (or the rehearsal room for majority of the time) is a place to escape whatever else is going off around me and I think I'd like to keep it that way.