Reach for the Stars review – high-flying heroines take children to infinity and beyond

Available online
The Little Angel theatre's inspirational show uses dance, rap and puppets to tell real and fictional tales about trailblazing female astronauts

Before she became the first woman of colour to go into space, Mae Jemison trained as a dancer. When she embarked on her 1992 mission on the shuttle Endeavour, she took with her an inspirational photograph of Alvin Ailey's ballet Cry performed by her near namesake, Judith Jamison. So it is fitting that Reach for the Stars, an online physical theatre show for children, puts choreography at its heart as it entwines the trailblazing African American astronaut's story with that of an aspiring space-rocketeer, Nat.

Yasmin Keita gives a warm, spirited performance using dance and rap routines to explore science, Jemison's story and the importance of representation. Jemison drew inspiration from seeing Nichelle Nichols play Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek.