25/06/2026
MISS SALLY'S BIRTHDAY BASH!
A Belated celebration of 10 years of Dancing
It’s been a very busy time this term preparing dances for our first recital after the reopening of The Ballet Academy Weybridge. With the pressure of such a project now subsided, I finally have a moment to share some insights about running this school for 10 years (plus 2 years resting following unexpected events)
He was 4 and I was 9. I used to dress him up as a girl in my old ballet costumes and put on shows which I presented from the closet in my bedroom - it had bi-folding doors to act as a curtain! He was my youngest brother; my mum allowed me this indulgence only until he turned 5. It took a while before I could find the resources for more performances, but I suppose you could say that’s where it all started.
…And now nearly 60 years later I am happy to be celebrating teaching and putting on shows “legitimately” for the last 10 years with The Ballet academy Weybridge! It is such a privilege to still be able to do this especially considering the peaks and troughs of life.
The school has seen much larger numbers and far more glittering shows, but it is not built from everlasting stone; It is built with the ever-fluctuating circumstances of children, families, hearts, minds and bank accounts!!!
Many of you know that in 2024, the real 10th anniversary of the school, I lost both my parents, simultaneously. When these moments occur, we can see very clearly what is real and what is not. What will stand and what must fall.
In 2024, it was my turn to see what a devasted landscape of life could look like. It seemed like all had been lost and all had been for nothing. Where and how to begin again? The answers for all of us are in our hearts and in our souls. Alongside the everlasting love of my parents, family and friends, I found that “DANCE” also remained. The people do not remain, but their Love does… The body will not always move but DANCE can still MOVE US.
My own relationship with Dance has shown me that it can transcend and continue through all circumstances. It is a way of life, a way of being, a way of breathing. Like all the arts, it is an essence of our higher selves. Striving to know and express the higher part of our selves through dance makes our spirits and our bodies strong.
And so, I can see that Dance is one of the things that WILL STAND. What must FALL, is the vanity of a big school. What matters is that dance “happens.” That students (even just one) continue to grow strong in the discipline of dance. That dance can serve them as platform on which to present themselves to the world. That dance can become a joy and consolation for their WHOLE lives not just their childhood.
Although the theme of our recent recital was a birthday celebration it is really a celebration of a “Rebirth”; a celebration that all is never lost. The essence of all that we are as "The Ballet Academy" remains. Our passion for excellence, our commitment to providing safe, strong foundations in dance technique so that our students have a chance to reach for their dreams… And now we add the most important lesson of all; how to fall and get up and dance gracefully again.
We strive to jump higher but we train to land elegantly!
