Heathfield School

Dance has been a popular activity at Heathfield School in Ascot for over three decades. “We are lucky to have a team of experienced and dedicated Dance Teachers, who have not only trained with the best at the Royal Academy of Dance and Laine Theatre Arts, but also danced in companies and shows worldwide,” says Natalie Shaw, the school’s Dance and Drama Coordinator. Heathfield offers ballet, pointe and tap, but also contemporary and acro (ballet incorporating acrobatic techniques). Girls can study a Dance GCSE, and also have the opportunity to study dance to examination level through the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) and the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD).

All Heathfield dance classes are held in a purpose-built studio with harlequin flooring, ballet barres and mirrors. But dance also spills over into other school spaces, with regular shows and concerts taking place in the school theatre. Girls are given plenty of opportunities to maintain their interest in dance as a recreational activity, even if they don’t take it to exam level. “Dance is a popular form of expression and exercise and is a fantastic way to escape the cares of everyday life,” says Natalie Shaw.

She cites many reasons why dance is such a good activity for young people – cardio health, coordination, strength, balance and brain and body flexibility among them. But more than that, she believes it’s a great social activity – so often dance is a cooperative or teamwork affair. Students at Heathfield certainly enjoy all of that, and even use dance for good causes.

“Recently one of our dance students held a 12-hour danceathon to raise money for the charities Great Ormond Street Hospital and The OSCAR Foundation, which uses the power of football to teach the importance of education.” Proof, surely, that dance not only gives young people good moves, but also the mindset to do great things in the world beyond the school gates.