DANCERS were being put through their paces this week in preparation for a show about soldier life.

The nine young local performers are all taking part in 5 Soldiers, which is being staged in collaboration with the Mercury Theatre and the Rosie Kay Dance Company at the Corporal Budd VC Gymnasium Colchester Garrison next week.

Fresh from a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and performances in London in association with Sadler’s Wells, 5 Soldiers is a powerful portrayal of military life that follows four young men and one woman as they are trained and then deployed in a war zone. Inspired by serving and former soldiers, it weaves a story of physical transformation with what makes a soldier and how warfare affects those who put their life on the line.

As part of next week's performance, the culmination of a special tailor-made outreach programme will see a dance piece by the nine performers in response to Rosie Kay Dance Company's show.

Charlotte Haddon, the Colchester-based freelance professional dance artist who led the outreach project, says: "This is an amazing opportunity for young people to work with professionals. It’s also a chance to get a real insight into the Army – this is traditionally a military town but many of us don’t know much about the soldiers and how they live."

This week, to give them an even bigger insight into army life, Colchester Garrison Sergeant Major WO 1 Billy Biggar took the dancers through the rudiments of parade drilling.

And as part of the show's run, the Garrison have invited some hundred drama/dance/performing arts students from Thurstable, Colchester Institute, St Helena, Colchester Royal Grammar and the Gilberd to the gala/opening night performance on the Thursday.

5 Soldiers runs at the Corporal Budd VC Gymnasium to the general public from October 6 and 7 at 7.30pm each night, with the local outreach performance just taking place on the Saturday. For tickets call 01206 573948.

If you felt it within your heart to mention it, some 100 drama/dance/performing arts students from Thurstable, Institute, St Helena, CRGS and Gilberd will be attending the gala/opening night performance on Thu 5 Oct, at invitation of Colchester Garrison.

The community outreach project will see Charlotte Haddon work with Rosie Kay Dance Company and then link up with young people in Colchester to create a community performance that responds to the human themes of 5 SOLDIERS. Participants will also receive Army drill training from the Garrison Sergeant Major as part of their preparation for the performance.

The young people will put on their performance as a curtain raiser for 5 SOLDIERS on the Saturday evening.

Charlotte said: “This is an amazing opportunity for young people to work with professionals. It’s also a chance to get a real insight into the Army – this is traditionally a military town but many of us don’t know much about the soldiers and how they live.

“I love doing community work, I think the Rosie Kay Dance Company is great and I have wanted to do some work with the Army for a long time – so this is everything I could have wanted.

“The new piece we create will very much be about the human themes in soldiers’ lives.

The show is in Colchester during a national tour which is part of a broader initiative by the Army to engage with the public through the arts.

Lieutenant Colonel Jo Young, the Army’s officer for the arts has organised a range of festivals, photographic exhibitions and performance to build networks between the service community and the wider population.

She said: “Many people simply don’t have connections with the Army in the way they used to. The arts are a way we can engage in new and different conversations with those who rarely meet soldiers in their day-to-day life. Through initiatives like the 5 SOLDIERS tour, we can talk to them about issues we are all interested in like diversity and inclusiveness. We firmly believe that as society’s army we should reflect the society we serve.”

5 SOLDIERS was first toured in 2010-11 and was created by choreographer Rosie Kay after intensive research, including spending time with The 4th Battalion The Rifles. All the cast have experienced military training as part of their research and to prepare for this dynamic interpretation of Army life.

Rosie said: “We are thrilled to be bringing 5 SOLDIERS to Colchester with the support of the Army. It has been a labour of love over several years for me and the cast, gaining access, insight and experience; giving us a unique understanding that helps us portray the extraordinary lives of people in the military.

“We really try to humanise their story; we want the audience to empathise and to feel a visceral connection to our characters. We’ve been struck by how this work directly communicates with soldiers, officers and military families, but also with people who have no connection to the military, and even with peace activists. This is truly a humanistic portrayal of war; complex, nuanced, uncomfortable-yes, but overall, impassioned and truthful.

“Just as important is that the Army recognising that the arts are an effective way to build links with sections of the community and open up discussions about its role in today’s world.”