Sally Sumner, the founder and director of The Ballet Academy Weybridge offered us another charming performance “The Magic Toy Shop”. The show took place on 30^th and 31^st March,2019 at Addlestone Community Theatre.

Sally, when writing the story for the show was inspired by ballet “The Fairy Doll” She also choreographed the dancing.

The dancers’ ages ranged between 5 years and 58 years old. The show took place in the Community Theatre and it was a proper occasion. The theatre itself offered really good and comfortable facilities.

At the entrance to the theatre there was an opportunity to purchase, on the door, both tickets and a programme for the show.

After being comfortably seated, the lights went down, the curtains opened and “The Magic Toy Shop “ballet began.

“ ‘Top Toys’ was not your usual toyshop. It was owned by an incredibly talented toymaker called Mr. William Whirring. He specialised in making mechanical dolls. Anyone who was anyone in town wanted to own one of his creations.”

The dancers appeared one by one as many different dolls from the shop. Each dancer wore a stage make-up  and specially designed beautiful, colourful costume. Costumes were designed by Sally Sumner and fairy doll costumes were produced and designed  by Athalie Tar. Everything was fit for a West End show.

Photography Karl Te Aika

Each individual dancer as well as groups of dancers performed in front of an audience full of parents and family friends.

When the dancers appeared one by one my attention was grabbed. I was particularly charmed by the dancers’ beautiful arm movements. That made me realise, that I really was watching a proper ballet show.

Photography Karl Te Aika

The ballet dancers’ movements and communication with each other throughout the show were very expressive and able to tell the story of the show.

I found Sally’s choreography very interesting and enjoyable while being well suited to each individual dancer’s ability.

Photography Karl Te Aika

The ballerinas in the show were serious about their dancing all the way through. There were also a lot of smiles and there was a lot of joyfulness shining through to the audience.

Photography Karl Te Aika

The music by Josef Bayer and Léo Delibes created a special mood and an air of sophistication.

Lacey Tarr as the Fairy Doll; Photography Karl Te Aika

Though the story and music were from the past, we all somehow felt everything was happening then and there at that moment.

The various scenes included a broken doll, an Austrian doll, a mama poppa doll, a  sailor’s doll, a circus doll, a fairy doll, midnight magic dancing dolls, drumming bunnies, toy soldiers, Chinese dolls, Japanese dolls, Spanish dolls all creating great variety and providing true high-quality entertainment.

Photography Karl Te Aika

Amazingly good choreography delivered by the able, confident and talented and well prepared dancers made the show pleasingly spectacular and one to remember.

Sally Sumner and The Ballet Academy dancers; Photography Karl Te Aika

All the dancers of The Ballet Academy, young and older seemed to master the arm movements to the point where they shone and touched us with their beauty.

I definitely want to come and see another show by the dancers of The Ballet Academy Weybridge.

With global warming threatening our planet with destruction of habitats, both marine and terrestrial, taking small steps to achieve an eco-friendly routine has become a fast-paced industry. Alongside this, our world is changing. We now have many more options available to us, from plastic-free toothpastes, bamboo straws and even T-shirts made of ocean waste!

We have new government guidelines and incentives to cut out fossil fuels, and the media promotes initiatives such as ‘Veganuary’ and ‘Meat Free Monday’. These new and innovative options provide a fun and exciting path for everyone wanting to make changes to follow a sustainable life, and, with more time and passion, a larger range of options will become readily available to everyone.

Of course, following a sustainable lifestyle comes with its challenges. Not only are some products hard to come by, but others are expensive and out of reach for the ordinary person. Of course, this leaves us filled with questions, doubts and worries. How easy is it really to lead a plastic-free life? How can I change my routine to be more sustainable? And, where can I find these eco-friendly products? Sometimes, we might even be riddled with the guilt of not doing enough, forcing us back to square one.

However, the solution can be simple. One easy way to make a change in your life is to replace some of the products you already own. Opting for an organically sourced product with less chemical supplements can be one way to combat this. It may also mean choosing packing options that are plastic-free, recyclable or biodegradable. This way, you are making minor changes that, in the long-term, will reduce the demand for plastic packaging and of course, cause less plastic pollution on earth, majorly in our oceans. This has many benefits for our environment; less oil is required for the production of these plastics, recycled plastics means less energy is used to produce the packaging and, more directly, fewer animals die eating plastics and microplastics within our environment. Surely, that is an incentive in itself?

The path to an eco-friendly life is, without doubt, a challenging one, but it comes with high rewards. Options are constantly evolving, providing the ordinary person with more possibilities for an eco-lifestyle. Once you keep at the challenge for a few weeks, new strategies and products become embedded in your new eco-routine.

To me, it is knowing that you’re doing your part for the planet which motivates me to continue living an eco-day as a normal day. Our world is becoming an easier place to follow a sustainable and environmentally friendly lifestyle. So, what’s your excuse?

Electrosmog is the man-made electromagnetic pollution of the natural world. Expert Guy Hudson tells us how reducing electrosmog in our homes and workplaces can not only keep us healthier, but how in his own experience, also keep us looking and feeling younger.

By Iwona Lilley

Guy Hudson BSc, is a physicist and an expert advisor on how to manage electromagnetic pollution to reduce electrosmog.

GHe was born in 1954 in England and currently lives in Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex.

Guy graduated from Sussex University in 1977 with honours in physics and economics.

He then set out on a technical career in car design and telecommunications before founding the Dowsing Research Group, where he worked for 19 years.

More recently, Guy became a founder in 2008 of Beneficial Environments Ltd., where he currently works as an electromagnetic surveyor and developer.

He is a scientist who is a member of the Institute of Physics and who published work including: “Electrosmog Doctor”, which appeared as a regular column in “What Doctor’s Don’t tell You”, a health magazine.

Although Guy does not live in Weybridge he can provide his expertise to the people who live in the area.

Guy, for those who don’t know,  can you please briefly explain what electrosmog is and what is the electrosensitivity problem?

The technology that we use everywhere now provides a very broad spectrum of different electromagnetic frequencies as a by-product.

So, mobile phones, Wi-Fi, cordless phones, pi supply, house wiring, power supply, all electronic, all this kind of things produce pollution, which our body can feel and our biology responds to, that what electrosmog is.

And what is electrosensitivity?

There are two definitions of electrosensitivity. One is that our biology and all living things interact strongly with electrosmog. There are different effects and electrosmog can cause many kinds of diseases.

We are all sensitive to this pollution and our bodily system, as well as insects, birds, bacteria, and everything around us is affected by this.     

The second definition is called electrohypersensitivity, which is when this interaction causes allergy like responses within humans.

Please tell us how can You help people who suffer with an excess electricity around us?

We get allergies, so let’s say If you have an allergy to bread, you will stop eating bread. The same is with electrosensitivity. You need to stop exposing yourself to electrosmog.

First,you need to identify the source of electrosmog and then reduce it. We cannot see it or hear it, but you can detect it using simple meters and with experience you can identify the source and control it.

There are two approaches to protecting yourself. One is by switching off your

Wi-Fi, electricity, all those kind of things that change the environment.

The other way is called an electromagnetic hygiene. This is where you actually change the way you use technology. It is your habits, your behaviour. You take steps to minimize the exposure to electromagnetic by-products.

You can do as I do. I reduce the voltage between me and my computer, so when I have my hands on the keyboard there is no field coming off the computer onto my hands. I also use a special head set for my phone that does not put any disturbance into my ear.

As an electrosensitive person myself, I wear shielding clothing, so I have a T-shirt and boxer shorts that reflect microwaves. That allows me carry on my work in London. It stops me being badly affected while travelling on the train. It allows me to live a full life without unnecessary disturbance.

To purchase all protective clothing and all electrosmog detecting meters and protective equipment go to: https://beneficialenvironments.co.uk;

To enjoy the benefits of lower pollution, for advise and consultation and for all electrosmog surveying and developing services you can contact Guy on +44(0)1273251956

Do we need to think about electromagnetic pollution when building or refurbishing our houses?

Absolutely.

I understand that in so called ‘eco homes’ electromagnetic pollution (EMR and EMF) is not always considered. Shouldn’t we always aim to obtain healthier electromagnetic balance when we build a house?

Certainly. We should stop as individuals building up CO2. Farmers, for instance, need to change their attitudes to preserve the soil.

It is up to us to protect our environment. Some so called ’eco homes’ are like the worst polluted electromagnetically environment.

Proper eco homes are  ‘Eco 2.0’, because they are not only ecologically designed to save the planet through reducing energy consumption, but also create a healthy environment for the humans and animals who live in them and they have minimum magnetic pollution.

There are massive number of people who suffer with long term condition that can be improved by reducing electricity.

It makes an enormous difference to how you feel and how you look. It is also very noticeable how much younger people look when they take care of their electromagnetic environment. When they reduce it, people really look a lot younger.

Reducing electrosmog is fundamentally beneficial not only to our health but also to how we look when getting older.

The ‘eco homes’ are usually the worst. They are all unhealthy, but it is not difficult or too expensive to make them much better.

They need the right expertise.

We as consumers of modern technology are very confused, as there are two different scientific opinions. One says that we can use it (non-ionizing radiation) and it will not harm us. That is an opinion of people like Dr David Robert Grimes and Prof Dorothy Bishops, for instance. The other one is like yours and that of Dr Erica’s Mallery- Blythe, who is associated with Radiation Research Trust, and who runs PHRIE. Your opinions warn us against too excessive exposure.

There is a lot of evidence that electromagnetic radiation causes diseases, and it is not only ionizing radiation, but also the lower power radiation like microwaves and even mains frequencies cause these problems.

To find out about the plentiful evidence about the harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation, please go to charity called ES-UK and their listing of all scientific papers on the subject written over last hundred years. These papers are often peer-reviewed and show and confirm the very strong evidence of harmful electromagnetic effects on health.

It is not all bad. There are some wonderful machines based on EMR. If you do this right, they can be extremely beneficial, but the thought here is given to the radiation given off by the modern technology. A lot of it, unfortunately is harmful.

Some results of experiments claim that electrosensitive people complain about electromagnetic exposure even if the source is a sham. That leads to being diagnosed with a psychological or psychosomatic problem and not a physical disturbance one.

It is about understanding how electrosensitivity works. It is the design of experiments that is a problem, not that electrosensitivity is only psychological. Any disease that causes so much pain, discomforts, lack of sleep is going to have psychological component too, but these people do not imagine this problem.

I know that not many people are aware that electricity is first of all a natural force in nature. Our life is based on workings of bio-electricity in our system. It is a natural force within our organism that plays the role of a medium conducting messages from our brains to all parts of our body and mind. The life of all beings depends on this natural force that can be described as bio-electricity.

When it comes to man-made electricity, it is a dead force, would you agree with that?

Electricity is an important part of life, but it is not a life force. To think that electricity is part of life is wrong. Life uses electricity to perform so many different functions. It is a new source of pollution, certainly.

We need to distinguish between bio-electricity, natural electricity that is a life force, and man-made electricity, popularly known as electricity, that is not a life force.

My point is, that all this technology is incredibly useful, and we are never going to be without mobile phones ever again.

As an engineer, I spent years in the car industry designing, testing and manufacturing cars. Every component in a car, whether it is a petrol cap or a steering wheel, perhaps a door handle, or whatever it is, is designed with safety in mind.

If you look at electronics and power distribution, almost no consideration is given to human safety from the electromagnetic pollution point of view. This is particularly true with recent advances, and that is what needs to happen: these industries need to wake up.

Volvo, for instance, made their product very safe and they were pioneers at that. It takes a brave mobile company to have similar pioneering attitudes, but people who are safety conscious would pay more for those particular safe mobile phones.

That is a trend that needs to be started as soon as possible.

Electricity is a natural force in nature and now we have lots and lots of new devices appearing powered by man-made electricity. It is becoming crowded with all this. In health there is always a balance that needs to be observed. There is an overwhelming amount of these electrical devices nowadays and therefore, as you say, of electrosmog and pollution.

Yes.

There is still a huge amount of research to be done. While the scientific consensus is that people know about these bio-effects, there is not enough funding, and there is not enough research going on to determine what is harmful and what isn’t.

It needs more research and safety standards. In fact, I have been working on a committee on International Guidelines on Non-Ionizing Radiation. These are based on standards set by doctors in Germany, Austria and Switzerland called the European EMF Guidelines. We are developing standards for safe environments. These standards will ensure low levels of EMR, which will improve life for electrosensitive people and for all.

It is in the public interest to get the science right.       

What about an electric car? Given the problems with electrosmog, when we  will end up with thousands and thousands of man-made electric cars around us, isn’t it naive of us to think that electric cars with their electromagnetic pollution footprint are solution to carbon dioxide pollution caused by cars?

Ha! Ha! Ha! It is a good question.

It is a very complicated subject. Certainly, when it comes to electromagnetic pollution, whether it is an electric car or an ordinary car like diesel or petrol, the biggest pollution already comes from the tyres. If you bother to measure inside the car on motorway speeds, you will find that levels exceed safety by 30 to 40 times.

We are already in the situation when a car creates huge electromagnetic pollution.

Some electric cars seem to be designed with electrosmog in mind. This is an important issue and engineers need to consider this when designing new cars.

Finally, please tell us, if you could turn fantasy into the real world, what would be Your dream home and Your dream holiday?

Well I am going to build one as I will retire soon.

I want it to be low in electrosmog, so I will have an ‘Eco 2.0’ house. That is my dream house and I am going to work with developers and architects to make sure I’ll get one in the next few years.

My dream holiday? Well, you have to be really careful now. I used to love walking along hills in England and also in the Alps, but so often there is so much technical equipment at the top of the hills now.

I can be very badly affected by the radiation from all the masts up there, so what would have been my dream holiday has changed really.

I think swimming in the sea in the warm climate. Being in the sea you are surrounded by electricity conductive water, which is all earthed and therefore for electrosensitive people it is a very, very comfortable environment. So, a beach.

There is a thing called EMF White Zone. I am  comeing back to the EMF standards that were launched on 13 September 2018 at the London Conference about children with cancer.

EMF White Zone is a specially protected zone with low electrosmog, so I want an EMF White Zone beach and some nice clean water to swim in.

That is my ideal holiday.

Guy thank you so much for talking to us.

“The Soil and Health, A Study of Organic Agriculture” was written in 1945, today the book is widely available for everyone to read.

Written by Sir Albert Howard in 1945, the book is now published by Oxford City Press and is available for £16.

It is a long studious read, but whatever your professional orientation, you know that you haven’t wasted your time going through it.

Written in a very respectful, stylish language it tries to be objective with agricultural facts.

The purpose of the book is to show the correlation between soil and health. For health to be healthy it needs to have its base in food grown in a healthy soil. To keep soil healthy a lot of knowledge, natural intuition and inspiration is needed, as well as a lot of common sense.

“The Soil is as a matter of fact, full of living organisms. It is essential to conceive of it as something pulsating with life, not as dead or inert mass. A handful of soil is teeming with life.”

The book tells us too about the significance of humus.

“This accumulated reserve – humus – is the very beginning of vegetable life and therefore of animal life and of our own being”

We learn that compost is very important to keep humus healthy.

There are various suggestions about how to make good compost and therefore how to manage urban waste effectively without doing harm to the environment. A great importance is paid to observing the law of return to the soil.

After reading the book, in support of the author’s battle with chemical farming, I conclude: to live we all need to eat. We all like to eat well and are happy to do so.

We talk fairness and democracy, but it is not offered by the conventional farmer to the Soil.

The living organisms in the soil fed chemically live deprived life. That apparently is for our benefit.

Use of artificial fertilisers and pesticides described as “banditry” by Sir Albert Howard is somehow an abuse of democracy and fairness towards life, towards the life of the Soil.

Sally Sumner may be strict, but she believes it is the reason parents want their children to do ballet with her.

Sally Sumner was born in the Bahamas in 1958. Her father is half English and half Portuguese and her mother is English. She arrived in England in 1971.

Trained in classical ballet, modern, tap and character dance, she passed both IDTA Teaching Diplomas in Classical Ballet and Free Style Dance with distinction.

Sally Sumner performing during her international tour

Touring and performing around England and the rest of Europe, Middle East and Bahamas, Sally enjoyed a successful dancing career.

Having a strong classical ballet base, she loved her career as a dancer, often performing leading dance roles.

When asked, she names Cancan as one of her favourite dances.

In 2015 Sally founded The Ballet Academy of Weybridge, where she is the director, choreographer and teacher.

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.

Sally, thank you for taking your time to talk to us.

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?

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.

We keep very high standards by entering children for exams.

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.

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.

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.

This is a very big part of it.

I always say:” This is a very tricky step. Now we are going to try our best.”

My favourite saying is:” You are almost there. You almost did it.” and we have big celebrations about:” Being almost there.”

This is what Sally tells us about her teaching ethos:

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.

Sally organizes shows every second year.

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.

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.

“The Fairy Dream” script and choreography by Sally Sumner, photography: Karl-Te-Aika

I was even handed about it. It worked very nicely.

Sally tells us that both children and adults took part in the show.

To find out how to book classes that are run throughout the year for children or adults go to: www.theballetacademyweybridge.co.uk or call Sally on 078 81 38 48 33.

More about Your ballet classes:

Would you say that the discipline that you encourage towards dancing activities carry on into young and older pupils’ lives?

Absolutely, and I think this is well known and documented and that is why many parents are sending their children to me: for the discipline and you start young with that.

There are rules, there are ways to line up in the class, there is etiquette, there is a way to speak to the teacher, there is a way to speak to each other.

When they are on the diagonal they have to learn when there is a space to take their turn. There are all sorts of things to learn.

I do not allow them in the class if their hair is not done correctly.

I want to make it very clear, that I am very tough with them, but I am also very loving and at the end they come and jump on me.

They love their teacher.

Yes, and I love them, I love them.

I also like to use a strict voice with them, when I am teaching, because I am training them not to get too sensitive in later life.

It is delivered with love, but it is a strict voice and they know me, so they go past that and they cope quite well.

Sally, if money was not an object what would be your favourite project to do?

My favourite project would be to start an amateur ballet company in Weybridge.

With its own building?

Gosh, yes. I’d like the whole school to have its own building, and that is my dream.

Would you build from scratch?

Yes. If money was not an object I would have it all. State of the art, but at the moment if someone would just give me some land I’ll get a few porta cabins as studios on there and just get going, so I do not have to carry my ballet bars anymore.

Would you have a lot of peoples attending this beautiful school you would build?

I would have every single pupil in Weybridge, so we would not go anywhere else!