Wrenhaven Ballet School will celebrate its 50th anniversary next Saturday with a free open-air performance on the Harbourside quay. Around 120 current pupils, aged from six to eighteen, will dance alongside a dozen former students who now perform with professional companies, in a programme that ranges from classical excerpts to new choreography created for the occasion.
The school was founded in 1976 by Margarethe Dowling, a former soloist who opened classes in a church hall in Bramley Cross with nine pupils. It moved to its current studios on Netherby Road in the 1990s and now teaches around 450 children and adults each week. Mrs Dowling, who is 88, will attend the performance as guest of honour.
I only wanted somewhere for children to dance. I never imagined some of them would go on to dance for a living.
Among the returning dancers is Felix Amankwah, who started lessons at the age of seven after following his older sister to class and is now a principal with a company abroad. He has choreographed a short piece for the school's senior students, set to music by the Wrenhaven composer Lorna Whitlock. "The studios on Netherby Road are where I learned to work hard," he said.
Scholarships for the next fifty years
The school's principal, Ottilie Brandreth, said the anniversary would also launch a scholarship fund to cover fees for children from low-income families. The aim is to raise €60,000 over three years, enough to support around 20 pupils at any one time. Donations can be made at the performance, and a former pupil has already pledged the first €5,000.
The show begins at 4pm and lasts about an hour. A sprung floor is being laid on the quay for the dancers, and in case of rain the performance will move to the Tidewater Theatre, which has offered its stage free of charge. Seating on the quay is limited, so audiences are advised to bring a blanket or folding chair.
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