Principal - Miss Sarah Wells

Miss Sarah’ trained at the Arts Educational Schools in London for four years. There she gained her teaching qualifications in Cecchetti Ballet, ISTD Modern and National Dance. After leaving college she went to teach at her old school in Surrey when her former teacher, Felicity Jaffe (who was an ISTD Examiner), retired. She also taught Ballet, Modern, Tap and National Dance at the Weston School of Dancing in Chelmsford, between 1986 and 1996. To keep up her dancing Sarah joined The Chelmsford Ballet Company, a local amateur dance company, and has performed roles such as the Lilac Fairy in ‘The Sleeping Beauty’, Teresina in ‘Napoli’, Lise in ‘La Fille mal Gardée’, and the Black Berkshire Pig in ‘Tales from Beatrix Potter’. She finished her performing as Carabosse in the Chelmsford Ballet Company’s 1995 revival of ‘The Sleeping Beauty’.

FISTD Cecchetti Classical Ballet, ISTD Modern and Tap, Cecchetti Ballet Children’s Examiner

Now she encourages many children from the school to audition to become dancing members so that they may enjoy and learn from the valuable experience gained by taking part in the courses and shows offered by the Ballet Company.

 

In 1989 Sarah became a fully registered member of the ISTD when she passed her Licentiate Cecchetti examination with distinction and in August 1995 gained the prestigious Enrico Cecchetti Diploma, the highest ballet examination bestowed by the Cecchetti Society. Since 1986 Sarah has been choreographing dances and competition set work for the Cecchetti Society, primarily for the Mabel Ryan Awards. She enters pupils for the Awards nearly every year, as the opportunity to compete with children with similar abilities is invaluable for dancers wishing for, and thinking of, careers in the theatre.

 

Sarah runs a Musical Theatre Summer School, ‘SunDanceKidz’, which is open to any children in the area, although pupils from the school are given opportunity to book before the general public. This week long course offers classes in all methods of dance, singing and drama, a trip to a West End Show and culminates in a presentation. During the week the children learn all the songs, and dances to go with them, for the workshop production at the end.

 

August 2001 saw the ending to Sarah’s Ballet Exams, when after a week long intensive Cecchetti Summer School in Chichester, she took, and passed with over 90%, her Fellowship teaching exam.

 

Sarah is a member of the Cecchetti Group, who meet in London each term and organise events for the Cecchetti Society such as the Mabel Ryan Awards. She created a booklet that outlines all the Cecchetti Society’s events and competitions which is given out to the members of the Society across the country. In June 2007 she was appointed a Cecchetti Society Children’s Ballet Examiner by the ISTD Grand Council, then in September 2008 Sarah also became a member of the ISTD Cecchetti Classical Ballet Faculty Committee.

 

The Wells School of Dancing has been running in Laindon now for over 20 years and Sarah hopes it will continue for many more, possibly with more children reaching for the stars!