Betty Bloom Dance
OUR STORY
Betty Bloom was born out of a passion for dance, and a desire to communicate it’s exhilarating and theraputic effects. From the time I took up dance, it has changed my life and my outlook. It has bought a level of health and fitness without any kind of effort or discipline, better coordination skills, core strength and better posture, a great social life and a joie de vivre!
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So it was disappointing to watch my own small children never quite feeling the same kind of joy at dance classes, despite loving dancing at home. Classes often left them feeling anxious and isolated in what can sometimes feel like a pressurised and exclusive environment, suited to the already confident and talented child. I had to do something about this as dancing should be for for absolutely everyone.
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So Betty Bloom Dance was born; a compulsive idea from the start with a vibrant vitality of its own.
OUR ETHOS
We set out to be a different kind of dance school – offering a freshness of variety and adopting a more creative and imaginative approach. We adopt a story-telling technique which is both fun and hugely engaging for children, and there is always a part of the class where we encourage the children to use their own creativity in self-expressing the music, which very few schools do.
Here we’re not about following routines and driving through perfection, but allowing the dancer to find his or her own medium of expression. No two dancers, however accomplished, dance the same or even hear the music in the same way and that’s the exciting thing about dance – we want to nurture that individuality here, not create robots.
One of our maxims is that everyone can dance. Some have a natural talent and it boosts them up a few pegs for a while. Others just take a while to work out their coordination and where their feet are. You’ll see some children improving at a rate of knots and others that are bobbing along at their own pace.
There is never a need to be concerned – everyone gets there eventually – if they want to. Those that don’t want to get “there” just enjoy coming to class to dance, and still benefit from all that dance has to offer – the joy of movement to music, to free up their mind, to keep active and supple and improve coordination and focus.
Others are motivated by competition. There’s a place for all of them here at Betty Bloom, without any judgement.
The truly wonderful thing about dance is that dancers come in all shapes and sizes (outside of ballet). Our aim is simple but powerful nonetheless, to give them life-skills, which will enable them to be happy in their bodies and their minds, no matter what life throws at them.
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We have been keen to offer a broader aspect of dance than currently available today to children. There is such a rich diversity in music and dance, both around the world and through the ages, just waiting to be explored.
Whether they are learning new steps or creating their own choreography to a routine, they are channelling their energies into healthy pursuits, artistic learning and appreciation of musical genres outside their current scope.
Furthermore, the balance of components in each class ensures that we account for sustaining body, mind and spirit.
The children are always working towards a performance, exams or charity initiatives which provides a forward focus for energy and helps refine their skills. Performance also means theatricals and dressing up and everyone gets hugely creative and has so much fun. We offer annual exams in IDTA Freestyle Dance and Musical Theatre.
However, our core philosophy is simple: positive learning through sheer enjoyment, and picking up a few lifeskills along the way. Dance can be so much more than just an extra-curricular activity. We look forward to taking your child on a wonderful journey!
Kally Peigne, Founder & Director
