NATD SCHOLARSHIP SUCCESS - November 2021

Congratulations to Poppy Lynn, Chloe Gilbert, Eleanor Gordon, Thia-Louise King and Willow Dobinson who represented the Claire Dobinson School of Dancing in the Northern Heats of the first NATD Scholarships to be held for many years.

An extra special round of applause goes to Poppy (Senior Ballet and Modern) and Eleanor (Intermediate Modern) who were each placed in the top six of their groups in the regional heats. They are pictured here after performing solo dances in the National Grand Final in Birmingham - and in Poppy's case, taking 3rd place in the Senior Ballet Final!

Claire says "An amazing result! I am so proud of all who took part, and thank them and their families for supporting this new venture. It was a lovely event, I hope to invite more dancers to take part next year."

MUSICAL THEATRE - November 2021

We are proud to announce that Claire has been appointed as an NATD Musical Theatre Examiner - as well as Ballet, Stage Branch Tap, Modern, Contemporary, Gymnastic Dance and Freestyle. Claire is planning to offer Musical Theatre exmaination classes (Singing, Acting and Dancing) very soon. Please contact Claire to register your interest and watch this space!

WELCOME BACK - September 2021

Congratulations to all the dancers who took examinations at the end of Summer term - thanks to another fantastic set of results, Claire has a glittering array of trophies to give out on your return!

DAISY IN BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - August 2021

Some truly fantastic news - our very own Daisy Edwards is back on stage. Daisy is touring with Disney's dazzling new Musical of Beauty and the Beast and we cannot wait to see it!

Daisy covers for the lead role of Belle and also dances Swing which means she will cover many other roles in the production during the UK wide tour in 2022.

EXAM SUCCESS - JULY 2021

Well done to all of our dancers for a fantastic set of exam results! We will have held six days of exams by the end of term. Results from the first sessions have now been received: 90 Distinctions and 20 Merits, including some exams at Vocational level. We are particularly delighted with the results as most of the work was prepared during Zoom lessons. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication.

BRIANNA'S AUDITION SUCCESS - JUNE 2021

Huge congratulations to Brianna Ingley, who will be performing in The Nutcracker at The Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton on Friday and Saturday, 3rd and 4th September 2021.

Bree was accepted into the English Youth Ballet at Wolverhampton in April 2020, completed an 8 day Gala Performance course 'Tchaikovsky Ballet Highlights' in December 2020, and will be training over Summer 2021. It will be a busy Summer as Bree has also been accepted onto the Elmhurst Summer School program to be held for 3 days in August 2021!

Bree is pictured here accepting the trophies she won for brilliant entries in the NATD Online Theatrical Dance Competition held earlier this year. We wish her every success and look forward to seeing her in costume and on stage later this year.

POINTE CLASSES - JUNE / JULY 2021

Please note the following changes to the Saturday Pointework class times this term:

Saturday 12 June Saturday 19 June Saturdays 26 June - 17 July

12.50-1.20pm No lesson due to exams 12.30-1.00pm

ADULT CLASSES - MAY 2021

Adult classes have now returned to the studio. Days and times will remain unchanged for the Summer Term:

Tuesday	12.45-1.15pm	Adult Tap
Wednesday Wednesday	11.15-12.00 12-12.45pm	Adult Ballet lower grades Adult Ballet upper grades
Thursday Thursday Thursday	7-7.30pm 7.30-8pm 8-8.30pm	Adult Tap Adult Ballet Adult Modern

Please contact Claire if you would like to join any of the adult classes.

ONLINE DANCE COMPETITION SUCCESS - APRIL 2021

In March we were pleased to invite our dancers to take part in the very first NATD Online Theatrical Dance Competition. Now we are absolutely delighted to be able to congratulate them on their success!

1	Alice Fisher	Ballet 5-7 years
1	Megan Board	Tap 5-7 years
2	Thia-Louise King	Contemporary and Modern 5-7 years
3	Matilda Coleman	Tap 8-10 years
1	Brianna Ingley	Street and Commercial 11-13 years
1	Brianna Ingley	Contemporary and Modern 11-13 years
2	Brianna Ingley	Ballet 11-13 years
3	Emelia Percival	Young Choreographer 11-13 years
2	Lucy Abbott	Young Choreographer 11-13 years
1	Chloe Gilbert	Young Choreographer 11-13 years
1	Poppy Lynn	Young Choreographer 14-21 years
1	Poppy Lynn	Contemporary and Modern 14-17 years
1	Poppy Lynn	Overall Genre Winner - Contemporary and Modern
1	Poppy Lynn	Overall Genre Winner - Young Choreographer

Every dancer entering the competition received a certificate, and there was a fantastic horde of trophies for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each age range and genre, as well as an overall genre winner. The results were announced during online during an exciting live zoom presentation on Sunday 28th March with the esteemed judges.

The Claire Dobinson School of Dancing are extremely proud of our winners. Claire caught as many as possible on film below with their sparking trophies!

Particular congratulations go to Poppy Lynn, Overall Genre Winner for both the Contemporary and Modern, and Young Choreographer categories - a fantastic achievement.

SUMMER TERM - APRIL 2021

Summer term started on Saturday 17 April, and we are delighted to be back in the studio for all under 18s (and 18 year olds in full time education). Adult classes will continue on Zoom - starting 15 minutes later than normal on a Thursday evening - until 19 May or when Covid restrictions are lifted.

Note that classes will be held as normal on Bank Holiday Monday 3rd May.

THEATRICAL ONLINE DANCE COMPETITION - MARCH 2021

We are delighted to invite our dancers to take part in the very first NATD online Theatrical Dance Competition!

It costs only £5 to enter. There are a range of age group categories in a variety of genres to inspire all dancers aged 5-21 years of age to take part.

Each category will have a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awarded as well as an overall genre winner with a fantastic horde of trophies and plaques to be won!

Every dancer entering the competition will receive a certificate. The results will be announced during a live zoom presentation on Sunday 28th March with the esteemed judges present online to add to the excitement.

Click HERE to download the guidelines for entry. Online registration will be open from 14 February to 14 March - so contact Claire by 14 March if you would like to take part!

ONLINE CLASSES - MARCH 2021

All classes are currently being taught online over Zoom, with the timetable below. Please contact Claire if you would like to join any of our classes.

We will return to the studio as soon as Covid restrictions allow.

BRING YOUR PET TO DANCING - FEBRUARY 2021

As well as keeping us dancing in lockdown, the Zoom classes have been a precious opportunity to see friends' faces - and their !

Claire has loved meeting all the gorgeous who have made a surprise appearance in a Zoom class, and is now extending the invitation to those who have so far been too shy.

For the last week of this half term (8-13 February), you are invited to Bring your to Dancing! Your does not have to dance, just to join the first 5 minutes of class for a show-and-tell.

If you don't have a , you could bring a favourite toy animal, or why not draw a picture of your magical dream ?

BOXING NEWS - FEBRUARY 2021

The Claire Dobinson School of Dancing has a surprise endorsement in British Boxing News this month!

East Midlands Amateur Boxing Champion Kieron Brennan has been studying ballet with Claire for many years to develop his balance and footwork. Kieron has just signed professional contracts, and British Boxing News give a full page biography of his achievements so far.

We wish Kieron every success in his professional career and look forward to seeing him show off his great footwork in the boxing ring!

ONLINE ART GALLERY

Many of our dancers also enjoy drawing and painting, and we created an online art gallery to showcase their work during the first lockdown period.

Click on the picture to visit our online art gallery.

The gallery is still open for submissions - please send Claire a scan or photograph of any dance related drawings and paintings you would like us to frame and hang on our virtual wall. The invitation is open to dancers' family members and artists of any age - anyone with a connection to the school.