Teenage dancers to learn from the stars

A college dance tutor from Coleg y Cymoedd has taken centre stage at London’s famous Pineapple Dance Studios, home of the hit TV show with Louie Spence, to bring back the latest moves to her class of aspiring dancers.    

Jaye Lord, who heads up the college’s Performing Arts department, travelled to the studios founded by international model Debbie Moore OBE, to bring back choreography and new techniques created by the industry’s best for the stages of the West End to her learners in the South Wales Valleys.        

Throughout the week, Jaye took part in a range of dance classes with some of the industry’s top names, including a session with acclaimed dance choreographer Lukas McFarlane, the name behind choreographies on So You Think You Can Dance and the X Factor.

The tutor is now working to incorporate her experience into her own lessons to allow her learners to develop the modern dance and jazz techniques that would normally be accessible to the stars of the big stage.   

Jaye said: “It’s important to me that I continually develop my course to offer the very best and latest techniques to my learners to help them best prepare for a career in the industry. Spending a week at the top establishment in London has been an amazing experience.”

As well as professional dance classes at the renowned studios, Jaye also took part in visits to two highly regarded theatres in London as part of the educational trip – the Theatre Royal, Drury lane, home to classic Broadway musical 42^nd street, and the Adelphi Theatre, currently hosting the popular stage show Kinky Boots.

The behind the scenes access allowed Jaye the chance to discover how the Capital’s leading theatres operate, and the opportunity to give her learners a first-hand account into what it takes to become a West End performer.

Jaye continued: “My time at Pineapple studios was surreal. It’s a very special place – after all you see it on TV and it has a lot of prestige attached to it in the world of dance. It was an honour to take part in classes with big names in dance and learn from the very best and visiting the working theatres provided me with a real insight into the day to day life of a West end performer, which will help me to tailor my classes accordingly.

“I’m looking forward to taking back what I’ve learnt to the classroom and incorporating new techniques into our performances.”

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