Granny's At The Barre...

The Great British Summer is here at last and that means only one thing for The Wight Strollers: it's carnival season!

We got underway this year at Sandown Main, on July 27th, where we revealed our theme: 'Granny's At The Barre'. Pretty self-explanatory, it involves our troupe donning tutus, legwarmers and granny wigs and parading through the Island's streets performing our comedic, balletic routines.

This year's choreography comes down to Sarah Scotcher, Cheryl Rudd and Elisa Jones, who have been working hard to produce three exceptionally entertaining routines to 'Uptown Funk', 'Hooked on Tchaikovsky' and disco classic 'Ain't No Stopping Us Now'.

The first carnival is always a bit nerve-wracking. It's the moment we discover where our theme is a hit or a flop and this year's may well go down among our best, if the crowd's reaction in Sandown was anything to go by!

The judges loved us, too, and we walked away with First Prize in our class, the Chairman's Memorial Cup for being the most economic, effective and efficient entry and the trophy for Best Overall.

Newport, on August 1st, was no less successful and we were awarded First Prize and Best Overall there, too, which thrilled our graceful grannies and sent energy levels through the roof.

Cowes Main, a late addition to our programme, on August 6th, was another winning evening for our troupe, with another First Prize and Best Overall to add to our float.

Three carnivals down and, with seven trophies to show for them, it's safe to say we're over the moon!

We've got four more carnival appearances this season, so if you've missed out on seeing us so far, you can catch us at:

- Ventnor Illuminated: Saturday 15th August

- Sandown Illuminated: Wednesday 26th August

- Ryde Main: Thursday 27th August

- Ryde Illuminated: Saturday 5th September 

If you can't make it to a carnival, or you're not Island-based, never fear! There are plenty of pictures and YouTube videos circulating - why not check out the pictures on our Facebook page or the video from our first outing (check us out at 10:24 and 22:46) at Sandown's Main Procession?

Keep an eye on the blog for news from our final carnival appearances, pantomime news and a few more exciting announcements...