pbarnett@thekmgroup.co.uk

One of the last pictures taken of Sara Bakri is of her dancing barefoot and free in the streets of Italy -- a short while later, last May, she died last from liver disease aged just 21.

It is an emotive image that sums up the determination of Sara to dance almost to her very last step.

Now her life is being celebrated in a Concert for Sara at the Theatre Royal, Margate, on Saturday, April 17, with all proceeds going to the Children’s Liver Disease Foundation and Rethink, to help their vital work respectively in supporting children and young adults living with childhood liver disease, funding research and saving lives, and helping those who are affected by severe mental illness recover a better quality of life.

All the performers have been closely connected to Sara in some way. She danced at the Page-Mason School in Broadstairs and Hasland in Herne Bay and helped with the students on the Year 11 BTech Dance Group at The Charles Dickens School - all will offer their tributes.

Dance school friends Rebekka Bowling and Michael Gunn went on to train at London Studio Centre, Kallum Hopper at Laine Theatre Arts and Louise Dempster at Performers. School friend Kieron Stone’s band Morning Departure has been playing to packed audiences at the Brixton Jamm and talented flautist, Lydia Pearson, will be performing accompanied by Neal Osgood on piano.

Also taking part are several members of the Martin family, who are well known in local operatic and music circles -- Derry and Alice, who sing with Herne Bay and Canterbury Operatic societies; Charlie, cellist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, young singers Olivia and Eleanor, and Matthew Lee, who plays keyboard for West End shows 'We Will Rock You,’ 'Mamma Mia!’, and 'Dirty Dancing’.

London-based comedy sketch duo The Spring Chix -- aka Julia Collier and Clare Jones -- are performing a couple of their comic duologues, premiered at the Camden Fringe Festival last year, and Greg Holmes and Alan Mitchell will present material from their recent live comedy act The Credit Crunch Bunch performed at The Hideaway in London. Heather Sawney will also singing popular musical theatre numbers.

The show’s hosts are Sara’s brother Nadim and Louise Dempster, who has just returned from performing in America.

Tickets are available from the theatre either onlinewww.theatreroyalmargate.com or at the box office on 0845 130 1786 or 01227 787787. Ticket prices are £8, concessions £6.