Two Year 7 pupils at Dame Allan’s Schools are balancing busy dance schedules with homework, co-curricular clubs and performances — one after appearing in The Nutcracker with Northern Ballet, the other after discovering that dance at school has become his favourite part of the school week.
Daisy and Conor both joined the Senior School this academic year from Dame Allan’s Junior School, where each had already developed a love of movement. That passion has only grown in Year 7, with both pupils now taking part in school dance clubs, rehearsing for whole-school performances and working with visiting professional choreographers as part of the co-curricular programme.
Conor, 12, said: “It’s probably my favourite thing I do at school. Whenever I get into the dance studio, it’s like a relief. There’s always something new — you get to try different styles, work with different people and perform.”
Alongside school dance, Daisy trains three days a week at the Academy of Northern Ballet in Leeds, where she is part of the Level 2 Centre for Advanced Training programme. Having recently passed her pointe shoe assessment, she performed as a party child in The Nutcracker during the Christmas season, appearing on stage alongside professional dancers.
“It was really fun,” said Daisy, 11, who has been dancing since the age of two. “You’re with your friends backstage, and then you get to do what you love on stage with the company.”
Despite the demands of her external training, Daisy remains closely involved in dance at Dame Allan’s, attending the Year 7 dance club, joining school dance camps and rehearsing for upcoming performances.
“At school it’s about dancing with your friends and performing together,” she added.
Conor began dancing in Year 3 at Dame Allan’s Junior School, initially through curriculum lessons before joining clubs and later performing a solo at Dance City in Year 6. In the Senior School, he dances with the Rogue Boys group and takes part in dance platforms, where pupils from different year groups and houses perform solos, duets and group pieces. Alongside dance, he is also involved in basketball, climbing club, table tennis and choir.
“Dance helps with balance and movement — even in basketball, things like faking people out, dance really helps,” he said.
Both pupils are keen to encourage others to give dance a try.
“If you’ve never tried it, you don’t realise how much energy and rehearsal it takes,” Daisy said. “People think it’s easy until they see how much time you put in.”
Dame Allan’s Head of Dance, Mrs Turnbull, commented:
“It is fantastic when we have pupils who come into school with a love of dance and with so many opportunities on offer, there is something for everyone. Miss Rowe, our Junior School Dance Teacher, is fantastic at instilling a love for dance and we continue that in the Senior School with both curricular and co-curricular dance on offer.
“We’re proud that so many of our students find a love for dance in school and want to develop their skills further via opportunities such as the Centre for Advanced Training, Phoenix Academy, the Academy at Northern Ballet as well as dance classes alongside their studies.”