By Sarah England of the Sarah England School of Dance

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Everyone can dance. Seriously, everyone. Don’t believe me? Watch little toddlers jiggle and wiggle their hips and wave their arms in the air to their favourite music, watch Uncle Derek do the “dance to the dancefloor dance” at your cousin’s 21st,or watch football fans bounce up and down to Sweet Caroline.  Ok, so maybe not everyone recognises those things as dance, but being able to dance and being a dancer are two very different things.

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That’s where dance schools come in. There is a dance school out there for everyone, with different styles and techniques, and different levels of fun and pressure. My dance school, The Sarah England School of Dance in Stalybridge, was established in 2004. It started with just a few little ones in their pink uniforms and ballet shoes. Now, 18 years later, we have almost 200 students and teach so many styles, it's incredible, including Ballet, Tap, Modern, Street, Contemporary, Acro and Musical Theatre. We’ve recently been asked to choreograph Maypole Dances for the Spring fair. Now that was a learning curve!

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The fact is I love to dance and I love to pass that love of dance on to anyone who will let me.  The teachers at the school are with me because they feel that way too. Of course, we want to give our students the best technique and routes to progress into the profession if they want. We have had students dance on stage with Elena Glurdjidze, principal dancer of the English National Ballet, gain places in The CAT schemes (Centre for Advanced Training) with Northern Ballet and Northern Contemporary, and go on to take dance degrees and perform professionally.

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But, becoming a professional dancer isn’t for everyone and we make sure that all our students have access to opportunities where they can build friendships and create amazing memories that will last them a lifetime.  After the last couple of years being isolated from one another, there is a real hunger for being together, new experiences and a massive sense of community.

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Stalybridge being awarded Town of Culture 2022 is amazing. I realise not everyone sees the activities and events that go on in the town but rest assured that the pot of creativity is bubbling away and many groups in Stalybridge are benefiting from this award. The most obvious one to people generally is the fantastically successful StreetFest. School children and our older generation alike have access to things that have been made possible because of this award and the status it gives.  I am very hopeful it will act as a springboard for more creative activities throughout the coming years.

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Stalybridge has some amazing buildings, including The Library and the Civic Hall. My own dance school is in part of the building that used to be the Grand Theatre in Stalybridge, built in 1890. I love the fact that we dance in this building.

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Personally, I’m sure all those who know me won’t be surprised to read that I’d love to see a theatre in Stalybridge. Theatres may seem unnecessary or frivolous to some but they bring communities and family together, encourage out of towners to visit, encourage business and create economic growth. For Kevin Costner fans, ‘Build it and they will come’. Ha ha!

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When I was a professional dancer, dancing around the country and the world, I never thought I’d put down my roots in the town I grew up in. It seems I didn’t have to, they were already here and the longer I live here the more proud I am to say I’m from Stalybridge.

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Follow Sarah on Instagram @sesdstalybridge

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