Published on 1st September 2024

The Glynde Place Dance Studio in Horsham celebrated its 40th anniversary with a show at the Hawth Theatre, Crawley in July. AAH was there to meet founder Heather Owens and long-serving teacher Lisa Livett to find out more about the studio... 

RISKY BUSINESS 

Heather developed a passion for dance at Grandison College, Croydon, which has long since closed, before finishing her teaching qualifications at Arts Educational School in London. She then taught at a dance school in Cheam but after moving to Roffey, hosted her own classes at London Road Methodist Church. After a couple of years, Heather recognised the importance of having a permanent home in the town.  

Heather recalls: ‘I found a place in Glynde Place, just off Middle Street in the heart of town. I had to sell my house to buy it, so it was a big risk financially. The site was derelict, having formerly been part of Grant’s department store, which had gone out of business. It had many rooms, making it ideal for dance and ballet classes, but needed lots of work and I was always indebted to my late brother, Dougie, who is pictured in photographs from our early years here. Our first classes were held in April 1984 and ever since then, we’ve maintained our ethos, teaching ballet, tap and modern theatre.’

STAND BY ME

Just a few months later, Lisa Livett attended a class for the first time. She had been asked along by a school friend, but Lisa soon found she had a talent for dance. After enjoying modern class, Lisa tried ballet too and dancing would become a life-long passion. She began teaching at the age of 18 and continues to run Glynde Place alongside Heather. 

Lisa said: ‘Dance isn’t for everyone, but our retention rate is very high as it’s a place where friendships are formed. Sometimes, children can be having a tough time at school and having a separate group of friends at Glynde Place helps them. They have a shared passion that bonds them together and creates lasting friendship. We often find they bond with people in other classes, so someone coming for tap might be encouraged to try ballet or vice versa, which helps foster a family feel across all of the age groups.’  

‘We have several classes for adults of all abilities throughout the week too, ranging from ballet to yoga and body conditioning exercises. Some of the advanced groups are comprised of former pupils who have danced here since they were young and still enjoy it in their 30s, 40s and beyond. They keep coming not only because it keeps them fit and active, but because they love the social side. Their days of being excited about performing on stage in the big shows are behind them, although they did perform an Irish Tap routine before the interval at our 40th anniversary show!’

ME ‘OL BAM-BOO

Glynde Place organises a major biennial show, this year called Timeless. This is usually divided into two parts to enable as many as 300 children from all its dance classes to perform. The first half of July’s show was based on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and after the adults performed a well-received Irish tap routine, the second half was based on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  

Heather said: ‘The shows are wonderful as they give the dancers something to work towards. However, putting them together is a lot of work, as it’s not just choreographing upwards of 30 routines, but also sourcing costumes, props and scenery and obtaining licensing permissions to use Disney music. We have to organise a venue too, usually opting for The Hawth as it has the backstage space we need.’  

‘Compiling shows is a challenge too, as we present stories with a dramatic narrative, rather than individual song and dance routines where the audience feels obliged to clap after each number. There are not enough familiar songs in most musicals, so as well as songs like Heigh-Ho and Me ‘Ol Bam-Boo, we add other songs to make it interesting for the children and the audience. Some are fun pieces, such as the Teletubbies dance, while others feature club classics (Ecuador by Sash!) or beautiful classical pieces such as Blue Bird (Alexis Ffrench) as we showcase tap, modern and ballet throughout the show.’ 

‘Main characters feature prominently, but every class is featured at least once and we bring the little ones on to the stage during the interval to give them more experience. During Timeless, this meant having 85 children with buckets and spades dancing to Summer Holiday.’

FROZEN FAIRIES

Classes are held every day from Monday to Saturday, with some children attending from the age of two-and-a-half. Even for children at a pre-school age, classes are structured, with children introduced gently to movements in different disciplines in a way that is both educational and fun.  

Lisa said: ‘There are some dance schools that encourage musical movement at an even younger age than two and cater for pre-schoolers, but they tend to be unstructured classes. By focusing on the fundamentals of ballet, tap and modern and working towards qualifications by the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD), we attract many children from other dance schools. Some join us when they are at primary or secondary school, having already trained elsewhere, as they want to work towards dancing qualifications or have seen one of our shows and liked the standard of the performance.’ 

‘We focus on technique as it’s important to dance the right way to minimise injuries and avoid the development of bad habits. That’s not to say it’s not fun. Certainly, in the younger years, you’ll see children pretending to be fairies or dancing to songs from Frozen, enjoying themselves while being educated in ballet. Several of our dancers have gone on to attend prestigious art schools or danced in the West End. Andrea Davies is the current Director of Dance at BRIT School and Jarry Glavin performed with the Royal Ballet and now runs her own dance school in the west country.’

BILLY THE KIDS

The 2000 movie Billy Elliot inspired more boys to try ballet or other forms of dance, but this proved to be a short-lived surge and once again dance schools struggle to attract boys.  However, those that do come and continue into their teenage years not only have a good time, but are hugely important to productions and are an inspiration for younger children. 

At its peak, around the turn of the century, Glynde Place Dance Studio had about 500 girls and boys coming to classes each week. There have been challenges since then, most notably Covid, when attempts to run classes online proved problematic. The increasing availability and popularity of other sports and activities for girls has had an impact too, with many children juggling dance commitments with music lessons, sports clubs, horse riding and a host of other interests. While there may be more options for children, as well as competition from other dance schools, Glynde Place continues to thrive, says Heather.  

‘There was a couple of years during the pandemic when our new intake was lower than usual, but because we own our building, we were able to survive that difficult time. We’ve been gradually recovering since then, with our new intake attracting healthy numbers, as there will always be those who love dancing and performing.’ 

‘We’re happy to continue much as we are, with a busy schedule as we work towards examinations and a summer school in 2025. After 40 years, Glynde Place Dance Studio remains as strong as ever.’ 

WORDS: Ben Morris / PHOTOS: Alan Wright

Further information: For more details about classes, call (01403) 250063 or visit www.glyndeplacedancestudio.co.uk