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<\/a>Sally Sumner performing during her international tour<\/p><\/div>\n
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Touring and performing around England and the rest of Europe, Middle East and Bahamas, Sally enjoyed a successful dancing career.<\/p>\n
Having a strong classical ballet base, she loved her career as a dancer, often performing leading dance roles.<\/p>\n
When asked, she names Cancan as one of her favourite dances.<\/p>\n
In 2015 Sally founded The Ballet Academy of Weybridge, where she is the director, choreographer and teacher.<\/p>\n
She is very accomplished and professional in what she does. Having trained in The Royal Academy of Dance Style it is very important to her that she is now a mutually recognized teacher for Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), as well as a Qualified IDTA Teacher.<\/p>\n
Sally, thank you for taking your time to talk to us.<\/strong><\/p>\n As a founder and director, can you please tell us a little bit more about The Ballet Academy of Weybridge and what is the academy’s strongest point?<\/strong><\/p>\n Firstly, we teach children from ages of two and a half and upwards, all the way to adults, including an over 60s group. The strongest point is that we are a community and I include all ages and all aspects of the community.<\/p>\n We keep very high standards by entering children for exams.<\/p>\n I am very strict and this is the difference. There are many schools, but I am aiming to give a little bit more. I take a holistic approach to teaching. I am aiming to develop my children in mind and body. Children need to be given correct expectations and the belief that they can achieve. I feel it is important that they experience some kind of achievement in every class. I insist on ballet buns and correct uniform in class as this type of personal grooming sets a sense of purpose for the discipline that is about to be undertaken.<\/p>\n The range of personal goals in my current students is very broad. Some are naturally gifted dancers who I push to achieve their full potential, others require ballet excercises that will help to correct certain physical weaknesses, while some wish to improve deportment and build confidence. I enjoy the challenge of seeing that each child’s needs are fulfilled.<\/p>\n My favourite words when I am teaching the little ones are:” Do not give up.”, but You have to be very thoughtful of their little psychology. They have to be in a safe place to fail in order to be able to grow. Everyone must be allowed to fail in order to grow.<\/p>\n This is a very big part of it.<\/p>\n I always say:” This is a very tricky step. Now we are going to try our best.”<\/p>\n My favourite saying is:” You are almost there. You almost did it.” and we have big celebrations about:” Being almost there.”<\/p>\n This is what Sally tells us about her teaching ethos:<\/p>\n Self-awareness, confidence, self discipline and personal expression…In my experience these are the things that make children happy, and in the future, will make them happy adults. Instilling these attributes in our children is my first priority. “Ballet” is my method. If we can develop the above qualities then we should be able to aspire to be the best that we can be. I call this “excellence” and I have set down the values of the school to reflect this.<\/p>\n Sally organizes shows every second year.<\/p>\n My last show was called:” The Fairy Dream”. I wrote the story for it and did all the choreography and it was a very hard work, but it was thrilling to see it all come together.<\/p>\n It took place at the Addlestone Community Centre and every single child was a fairy, because you know, how can you tell one child they are going to be a fairy and the other no.<\/p>\n
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