Lessons Learned at the dance studio

Dance has played a huge role my life. I want to share some of the things I have learned along the way. I started dancing very young stopped for a while and started again at the age of 9. From then there was no going back. I went to every class I could, drained the bank of mum and dad on classes, new uniforms, costumes and competitions. For a very long time dance was the most important thing to me in the whole world. I have forgotten that in recent years, I want to take a look back at the invaluable lessons I've learned because of dance and remind myself why I loved it so much and maybe just maybe, have a stretch, get my shoes back on and dance my heart out for old times sake.

---

The very first lesson I learned in a dance studio was an incredibly valuable one:

Friendship

My dance journey (if you can call it that) began very young, so young I can't remember exactly. I was either 4 or 5.

I lived in a tiny village where it seemed there was very little going on, but on a Saturday morning there were dance classes in the village hall.

My wonderful grandma thought it was a good idea to take me along. I am not sure what evidence she had for this as 5-year-old me hadn’t quite mastered the art of balance just yet. Maybe she thought it would be the helping hand I needed.

All I can remember is the sheer excitement of the shopping trip to get kitted out as a beautiful ballerina.

-Leotard ✔

- skirt ✔

- shoes ✔

- weird circular case (absolutely necessary to gain my ballerina credentials)✔

- fancy cross over cardigan with ties. ✔

Naturally I couldn't have just any old cross over cardigan, My super Grandma knitted one for me which made me feel EXTRA special.

I was finally ready. Enter stage left- little miss all the gear no idea.

Uniform on. Hair done. Off to the village hall I went to attempt to dance.

As a small squidgy kid with glasses and a propensity to bump into things, a

a knack for tripping over absolutely nothing. I wasn't a natural born Prima Ballerina but I always had enthusiasm. It was in this cold and dusty village hall I met two people who would become my oldest and loyalist friends.

Twins Marietta and Dominique.

As you can see we have always had a penchant for the dramatic

They may have been identical but back then their personalities could not have been more different. Me and Dom were timid and shy but gave it our best. Marietta was ready for her close- up. There is an old school home video that demonstrated this perfectly, I wish I knew where it was.

Picture the scene… The three of us were stood in a line waiting to show the teacher our combination one at a time. When Dom and Marietta were tiny it was a lot harder to tell them apart. As I watched on all became clear. It was one of the girl’s turn to dance, but they weren’t paying attention until they got a shove in the back… ah there is Marietta (the one doing the shoving) She was the Beyonce of the trio back then.

Who would have thought we would still be friends almost 20 years later… jeez we’re old.

The dancing did not stop there, it was our go to activity second only to spending hours trampoline on weekends and summer holidays. We'd fill our days, picking songs to dance to from our pop princess albums or the latest Now that's what I call music, playing the first 30 seconds of a song over and over and over again. There would be furious debates about style, creative direction and formation

"I learned this move this week can we put it in?"

"What if we did it in cannon?" I would say eager to show of the new word I had learned that week.

Twins: "In what?"

"I learned it at dance camp it means one after the other."

We were the coolest kids in Hale Village I swear. If it was sunny out we would try and convince as many kids on our street that they NEEDED to be in this week’s production. Sometimes people would join in, and we would have tonnes of fun dancing and singing in our driveway. Other times, we would lose Dom to her other love, Football and it was left to me and Marietta to come up with this week’s masterpiece.

---

In recent years, Marietta and I have ventured back into the studio to see if we have still got it. We have tried a few heels classes where you actually have to try and be sexy?! Marietta fit right in, The Sass Queen had made her comeback. For me jury is still out, I still haven’t mastered the art of walking in heels never mind trying to dance in them while trying to look effortless and sultry doing it.

Dom, when she was younger would sometimes escape our summer holiday dance intensives for a game of 5 a side. She has now graduated from ARLA- The Academy of Live and Recorded Arts. She has even taught kids just like us the magic of performing arts. I am happy to take a small percentage of the credit in inspiring you to pursue a career in the theatre.

Dance has formed a huge part of our friendship from day one and one and will continue to do so; whether we are feeling nostalgic and want to look back on the days that we would bounce around our living rooms in brightly coloured legwarmers or dance the night away on sticky nightclub dance floors after one too many Tequilas.

Whatever happened I know I have my first ever ballet class to thank for two wonderful friends I can always count on.