By Claire Toner

Britney Spears hit the Odyssey Arena in Belfast on Tuesday night (25th October) for the first time since her Onyx Hotel tour in 2004.

There were certainly high expectations since she skipped out Belfast on her 2008 Circus tour- and Northern Irish fans were desperate to see the pop star do her thing.

Britney kicked off the show with 'Hold it Against Me'. As expected, she lip-synced from start to finish- and while this was irrelevant to many die-hard Britney fans, it was disappointing as her dancing was not quite up to scratch.

While I am amongst those who remember all too well how Britney's dance moves would make an audience watch with awe- the star seems to have lost a huge amount of confidence- and with that- her sparkle.

The only way to describe Britney's new dance style is that she appears to be walking through the steps while all around her dance them- it all looks a bit awkward and lacks the sharpness and oomph that used to be her trademark.

Brit also failed to communicate with the audience. Stopping on three occasions to say "What's up Belfast, are you ready for some more?" doesn't really cut it when you're paying between £60 and £80 to interact with your idol.

With tickets at such a high price, I was also expecting a lot from the staging and theatrics- but again I was let down. The back story which played out on three big screens behind the stage was complicated and slow- it failed to add anything to the show and seemed poorly thought out; while Britney neglected to make good use of the stage- spending the majority of her time standing at the front with scores of dancers running about around her.

Britney's saving grace was interjections from Will.i.am and Nicky Minaj on the big screen behind her during 'Big Fat Bass' and 'Till the World Ends' respectively, which gave the crowd something to get excited about, and the dancers something to really get their teeth into. Britney herself unfortunately failed to take advantage of these moments, choosing to freestyle her dance moves as if she wasn't expecting the breaks in her songs.

While Britney was obviously there to put on a show- I couldn't shake the feeling that it was more like a night out in a club for her. Her dancing matched up to most of the girls I see out in Belfast- and her lip-syncing was probably a little less heart-felt than most of her fans achieve when her songs are played in a night club.

In essence, I was maybe expecting too much from the star who has had her fair share of troubles over the past few years. Yes, I was very happy to see her almost back to her old self, strutting around the stage in denim hot-pants and a bikini top, but it all felt a little forced. With the likes of Rhianna, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga- who are constantly pushing the boundaries of theatrical performance- now around to contend with, perhaps Brit should just give up her Queen-of-Teen-Pop title gracefully.