The Next Step is a worldwide phenomenon, beaming onto our television screens over the past 14 years with ten seasons of growing up, drama, and of course: dance. Every kind of dance, and every kind of drama. Children, teens, young adults and their parents have grown up with these familiar faces in their homes, and they can probably recite the story lines: all the falling in love, breakups, friendships and disasters. Not to mention, the next dance competition “just around the corner”. To fans in the UK these people are celebrities, people have their favourite dancer or characters, their favourite storyline and their favourite moment.
How amazing to find that every single member of this Next Step tour is so generous with their energy and communication with the audience, recognising us all as being part of making the show such a success. They manage to envelope us in this joy: for the programme, for the show, and for the legacy that it has left us. They know their audience so incredibly well it’s astonishing. The love people are pouring onto them with their screams and clapping is reciprocated from each one on the stage, and everyone can feel it. It’s really quite an extraordinary experience, from an extraordinary show.
The show itself is nothing short of spectacular. The TV series always featured incredible dance routines and dancers, and the choreography and creative direction in this show from Trevor Tordjman (James), Jordan Clark (Giselle), and Amy Wright (Head Choreographer of the TV show) is absolutely superb. From the full company to solo work and everything in between, some of the dancers are even better live on stage than they were in the show: as if the choreography has been designed to show all their capabilities. Jordan Clark’s solo is stunning: in complexity and delivery of the storyline; the beats between the notes and the flexibility in her movements are all breathtaking. Carter Musselman (Heath) too shows an amazing emotional connection with the story and the music in his solo, showing more aspects of his dancing than we perhaps see in the TV show.
Peppered through this are lovely hidden gems for the fans: unseen footage, montages, interviews with cast members past and present and much more, making the audience scream even more. This is a show with original cast members and newer ones too, but they know their audience inside out: they know what the fans want more of, what the favourite moments are, and they bring us into their world. The friendships they have built working on the show are real, and we can feel that trust and bond they have: it shows in the dances. And in the B-twist from the incredible Trevor Tordjman (James), the vogue head toss from the fabulous Victoria Baldesarra (Michelle), the ariel from the remarkable Alexandra Chaves (Piper), and the dozens of pirouettes from the amazing Eldon (Isaac Lupien). The fans know what these things mean: they have lived these moments through each drama in the show.
Every style of dance is on show here: the contemporary pieces are truly out of this world, Alexandra Chaves (Piper) lyrical moves creating the most gorgeous pictures, and Shane Mahabir (Ethan) with graceful and impossibly long extensions. The height Noah Zulfikar (Kingston) reaches looks impossible. The duet between Ben Williams (Pete) and Emmerly Tinglin (Kenzie) is so emotional, and their connection in the dance is so evident. Everything is clean and tight; and some stunning complexity. The hip hop routine’s together movements are jaw dropping, the lyrical dance with five of them is so emotional it hits you like a heartbeat. This is first class dancing, including a trip down memory lane from Victoria Baldesarra reprising one of her famous Michelle moments, much to the fans excitement. Every single person on stage is a joy to watch, and gratifyingly, they seem to be all so very similar to the characters they played in the show; which increases the feeling as if we know them, as if we are spending an evening with a group of exceptional and wonderful friends.
So, parents that might hide the fact that The Next Step isn’t just your child’s favourite show; that you love it too: embrace that guilty pleasure. This is an exceptional, spectacular, breathtaking show with real talent, something they have worked hard at: and the trust and friendship on the stage to create this show is almost palpable. In the age of AI where you never know if what’s on your screen in real, this reassures you that yes: people are that talented and skilled, they are insanely flexible, and the dances they create: each one of them, either solo, or in any combination, are phenomenal and extraordinary; and they also seem to be really lovely people. If you’re a fan of the show, or even just a fan of exceptional dance: this is a must see. Catch it if you can.
Brighton Dome, 15 February 2026
The Next Step Legacy World Tour UK segment until 21 February link here The Next Step – UK Tour AEG Presents
