Insteps Dance Academy
Leianne Bates is Principal and owner of Insteps Dance Academy, the area’s leading dance school based in the heart of Ludlow. Here she tells us all about Insteps and why dance is such a great form of exercise for children and adults alike...
How long have you been the Principal at Insteps? Since 2008, so 15 years this year, which have flown by! We’ve seen a lot of changes in that time, including increasing the amount of dance genres we offer to our students and a move to a bigger location with three studios. We have lots of exciting things planned for 2023 including our students performing at Disneyland Paris in April.
At what age did you start dancing? I started Ballet at the age of four before quickly moving onto Modern Theatre and Tap. I was hugely passionate about dance from a young age and was delighted to study dance full time at a specialised dance college when I was 16. Upon graduating I danced professionally for a number of years all over the world. Having gained my teaching qualifications at dance college, I returned to the area and taught locally before the opportunity arose to become the Principal at Insteps. It’s one I grabbed with both hands and I’ve never looked back.
Can you tell us a bit more about Insteps? We’re all one big family and we offer classes to people of all ages and abilities. We specialise in Classical Ballet, Tap, Modern Theatre, Jazz, Acro and Musical Theatre for children aged 18 months and over. We operate out of our purpose-built studios at the Mascall Centre and offer over 40 hours of classes each week. Our students range from beginners to advanced and we offer the opportunity to undertake exams across all genres as well as performing locally at festivals and fetes. We enter competitions all across the Midlands in which we’ve enjoyed much success. Every 18 months we showcase our work at Ludlow Assembly Rooms over a weekend which is always very popular with parents, grandparents, family and friends.
Why would you recommend dance to someone? The beauty of dance is that it caters for everyone! We have 18-month-old babies join us for our weekly Mini Movers classes right up to adults. Dancing is one of the best forms of exercise there is. It engages the entire body as well as the mind. Learning and remembering choreography keeps your brain active while constant movement addresses your heart, circulation, balance, muscles and joints.
In my 15 years here I have seen young children join us who have gone on to perform professionally in the West End. Everyone here is full of pride when we see people we have known from a young age achieve their dreams. Only last year we all went as a school to watch one of our former pupils play the lead in Mamma Mia. It was amazing and showed our students they can achieve whatever they strive for.
What’s been your highlight as Principal of Insteps? So many! I think it’s always amazing when a student who starts with you goes on to have such a fantastic career in performing arts. I took great pride in being asked to choreograph Ludlow’s first ever professional pantomime last Christmas and it was amazing for us to see so many of our students successfully audition to be a part of it. I also love to see our students have opportunities to perform in amazing theatres and we’re due to perform again at Birmingham Hippodrome later this year. It is at events like this that our students make memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.
I love the moments when our little ones skip or hop for the first time, and watching our children grow with confidence over the years. I like to see the impact dance can have. Not everyone is going to or wants to dance on a big stage. However, being part of the Insteps family is what matters most. It helps people develop confidence and self-belief, and belonging to a dance family can be so important to someone’s development. Over the years, I think our dance school has positively impacted so many local young people and their families, with many more to come in the future!
We have limited spaces in classes. If you or your child is interested in finding out more and joining Insteps for a free two-week trial please contact me via email (leianne@instepsdance.co.uk) or call 07800 998 261 and quote INSTEPS2023.
Article supplied by Insteps