Dance teacher, Natalie, fell in love with dancing at aged three

Natalie, 30, attended her first ballet class as a young girl and dance has been a huge part of her life ever since.

She said: “I trained at the Claire Anderson School of Dancing in Doncaster for many years where I was nominated for an International Theatre Dance Award and was later awarded a place at Phil Winston’s Theatreworks in Blackpool.”

Natalie took her first teaching exam at the age of 18 but it was not until recently that she set up her own dance school, Starstruck School of Dance, based in Ingham.

The school opened in November 2014 and in just over a year it has grown from a small group of pupils to more than 50 pupils.

Natalie said: “It is so rewarding to see the progress our pupils have made, even in a relatively short space of time.

“Not just in terms of their dance technique but in their confidence and through the friendships they have developed.

“We attract pupils from a range of different villages in the Lincoln and Gainsborough area, some travel almost 20 miles to attend class, so they have plenty of opportunity to make new friends.”

Natalie says dance helps to develop such a wide range of skills that are useful in later life such as social and creative skills, concentration and perseverance.

She said: “I am very proud of all of them, they are an absolute please to teach; extremely polite, well behaved, most of the time, and most importantly hard working and keen to learn. They help to make our school a really happy place to be.”

Classes are held at Ingham Village Hall in Ballet, Tap and Jazz and pupils range from three-years-old to adult.

Natalie said: “We work towards annual IDTA (International Dance Teachers Association) exam sessions and each year all pupils are invited to take part in a dance show which enables them to develop their performance experience and gain confidence.

“It is also a great opportunity for them to showcase what they have learnt throughout the year.

“We recently held our second annual showcase and awards ceremony on July 17.

“The dancers performed show stopping routines to music from popular films such as the forthcoming Trolls movie and Despicable Me 2, along with classics such as Mary Poppins, Saturday Night Fever and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.”

The event, which was held at Queen Elizabeth’s High School in Gainsborough, also featured a presentation of awards for the pupil’s achievements in their recent exam session.

Natalie said: “Our pupils achieved some fantastic results in their exams this year and it was a pleasure to present them with their certificates and medals.

“I was particularly pleased to be able to present our adult tappers with awards for passing their first tap exam, they only started dancing in November and they have come a very long way already.

“They took their first tap exam after just 12 lessons, and a lot of hard work, which is very brave of them.

“Unfortunately, there was a long delay in getting the results back and a lot of the ladies assumed they had failed the exam and I was putting off breaking the news to them.

“But I am very pleased to say that every single one of them passed with top marks, either Honours or Highly Commended, which I knew they would.”

Natalie moved to Lincolnshire seven years ago to live with her now husband and she says she loves it here.

She said: “Our first child is due in December so hopefully he or she will be joining the dance school in a couple of years.”

For more information about the school email [email protected] or call 01673 866601.