SOPHIE
The School's Principal and main teacher is Sophie Edwards. Sophie decided at 2 years old that she would spend her life in the world of dance, and within a few months she had joined the Roney and Barbara School of Dance (now the Nikki and Barbara Dance Academy) in Welwyn Garden City, where she would stay until she attended the Stella Mann College to study for her "Associates". She qualified as an Associate of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in 2000 and opened the school shortly afterwards.
KIRSTIE
Sophie is assisted in the administration of the School by her mother, Kirstie, who is the main contact point for all enquiries as well as being the one who "does" in just about every other respect, from organising hall hire to arranging examiners' accommodation, sorting out rehearsal times to fielding enquiries, making dozens of dresses for the Annual Show to acting as surrogate mother to the School at large.
THE CHILDREN
We have over 100 children, from our babies of 3 years old to seniors of 18. We have some outstanding young talents in that number; we have others who harbour no ambitions to be the next Darcey Bussell. What they all have in common, and all that we demand of them, is that they work hard ... and that they enjoy themselves in the atmosphere, which is both happy and conducive to learning, which we endeavour to maintain. The children will normally progress together through the grades in each discipline, but there is flexibility to ensure that each student can learn at his or her optimal rate: there is no question of particularly talented children being held back by an unduly rigid structure; equally, those who learn at a more leisurely speed need feel no pressure to progress more rapidly than their abilities allow.
THE PARENTS
Parents and other guardians form an essential part of the smooth running of the School at every level. They are of course usually the ones who have to pay the fees as well as getting their charges to and from classes. Beyond that however, they are involved in constant communication over timetables, venues, exam dates, festival rehearsals, organising their own families to attend the Annual Show and a whole series of issues which however unpredictable seem invariably to be thrown up. We really do appreciate the contribution so many parents make to ensuring that the School operates (reasonably) smoothly. CLASSES
Classes are held throughout normal school terms at either the Mrtodist Church Hall or the Zoo Cafe, as shown on the Venues page. As a rule the younger classes take place on Saturdays, with the remainder during the week after school - see our Timetable page for more details. Much of the Spring Term is given over to rehearsals for the Annual Show, which is held at the Campus West Theatre, Welwyn Garden City shortly before Easter each year.
Experience has shown that the children concentrate harder and learn more effectively without the presence of parents or others. There is therefore a general rule that classes are held without spectators: with the standard exception that for the last set of classes each half term, parents are invited to attend to see for themselves the progress that the children have made over the period. In addition, we do understand that some younger children can be apprehensive when starting lessons, and we retain some flexibility here for a short period for parents to sit in and both lend some moral support and see how classes are run.
FEE STRUCTURE
Fee levels depend firstly on the duration of the class in question, which in the lower grades is normally 30 minutes and in the higher, 45 minutes. Fees for a single discipline will typically be £45 and £55 per term respectively. Substantial discounts are given for each additional discipline, and discounts are also given for siblings of existing School members. For further information, please use our Contact Us page.