News and Events

Miss Lianne was lucky enough to see Lizzie Bea (former Turning Pointe pupil) star as Sister Mary Roberts in Sister Act the Musical in the West End just before the run finished at the end of August. Lianne caught up with Lizzie after for a short interview to see what advice she could offer aspiring performers:

1. Can you tell us about the musical you are currently performing in and the part you are playing?

I am currently performing in Sister Act in the West End. I play Sister Mary Robert - she begins as a shy nun and she’s the youngest in the convent. She goes on a massive journey to find her voice and her purpose.

2. What other shows have you performed in, and what has been your favourite professional performing experience to date?

I’ve previously played Martha Dunnstock in Heathers, Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray, Pat in Kinky Boots - and many more! My favourite experience is actually Sister Act that I’m doing at the moment!

3. What path did you take to a career in musical theatre?

I trained in ballet, tap and modern with Turning Pointe from the age of 2-18. I had singing lessons locally and then did training with NYT, NYMT and NSDF. It was through NYMT that I got an agent and was then able to perform professionally.

4. What is it like to audition for a West End musical?

Every audition experience is different. Sometimes you can book a job from 1 audition, other times they call you back 8 times! You normally have to sing a song of your own choice and then something from the show as well as some scenes. There’s also normally a dance round where they want to see how you pick up and perform choreography.

5. What did you gain from your time at Turning Pointe that helped you prepare for a career in performing arts?

I loved my time at Turning Pointe because I was encouraged to be disciplined and gain great technique. I was always pushed to my greatest potential and also learned how to perform whilst I was dancing.

6. What advice would you have for any younger students hoping to audition for a full-time dance/performing arts course in the future?

Learn what makes you unique and lean into it. People want to see your personality shine through!

We have some very exciting news concerning Lizzie Bea that will be announced imminently!

We are thrilled to announce that former Turning Pointe student, Callan, will be taking up his place to study at Ballet Theatre UK this coming month.

Callan kindly agreed to answer some questions about his experiences auditioning for professional training and what he hopes to do in the future:

1. Which dance school have you successfully auditioned for, and what course will you be doing?

I auditioned for and got a place at The School Of Ballet Theatre UK Hinckley, Leicestershire; I will be studying a 3 year ballet performance BA (HONS) degree which I’m really looking forward to.

2. What was the audition process like? What did you enjoy? Was there anything you found surprising?

The audition was actually really enjoyable, it consisted of a typical 90-minute ballet class and a 45 minute contemporary class with a panel of staff watching both, which included the Principal. The girls also had a pointe specific class which gave me the opportunity to talk to some of the current students. It was a really relaxed atmosphere and the other people doing the audition were also very supportive. Going into the audition I was quite nervous however as soon as we started it all went away. Once we had completed all the classes we had individual interviews, I had my interview with the principal and one of the ballet teachers. They asked me about my background in dance and why I wanted to do that particular course and why I chose their school which really allowed me to express my passion for dance. They were interested in knowing which other auditions I was attending. We also discussed how I would cope living away from home, obviously I had already coped with this at a younger age, when I studied at Plumpton college. They also asked me what my dream job would be after my studies and they really made me feel at ease, it was more like an informal chat rather than a formal interview. Whilst I was in the audition there were talks for the parents/guardians and a Q&A session for them too.

3. What would be your ideal job in the future?

My dream job in the future would be to become a principal dancer in a ballet company and to tour the world performing in lots of different countries.

4. What did you gain from your time at Turning Pointe that helped you prepare for a career in performing arts?

Turning Pointe helped me realise that dance was my true love and that it could be my vocation as before joining Turning Pointe I had always seen dance as a hobby rather than a career option. Turning Pointe has a very nurturing environment and gave me the confidence to realise my potential. I cannot thank the staff enough for all their support and encouragement whilst living away from home.

5. What advice would you have for any younger students hoping to audition for a full-time dance/performing arts course in the future?

Just go for it! The main thing in the audition is to have fun. If the panel see that you are really enjoying yourself then that will make a huge impact on them. Also work really hard in the audition and don’t be afraid to ask questions as this will not only help you to improve your technique but it will also allow the panel to see that you want to learn and ensure that you get the exercise correct. Don’t be afraid to work for it outside of lesson time too; work on your flexibility, do some dance focused strength training, practice at home if you struggle with something; the more you do, the more prepared you’ll be and the better you’ll be for doing it. Take some time to do some research, look at what courses the different schools offer, do they run Summer Schools? Do they run associate programmes? If you are able to, go and see some of their productions this will help you get a feel of the different schools and what they have to offer.

Are you a parent who is looking for exciting summer camps for your child/teenager? Do they enjoy all things dance and performing arts? Then we have the perfect solution for you!

Booking is now open for our Summer Schools 2024! Two jam-packed weeks of dancing fun are on offer, with classes including ballet, modern, jazz, contemporary, and musical theatre. Guest teachers include west-end performers to teach musical theatre jazz, contemporary technique workshops, and acro workshops- keep an eye on our social media pages for more details to be announced soon!

Haywards Heath Summer School: 29th July - 2nd August at the Albemarle Centre, Oathall Community College, Haywards Heath,

Plumpton Summer School: 12th-16th August at Plumpton Village Hall.

For ages 4-6 the cost is £24 per day (including vat) or £120 for the week, with each day running from from 9:30am - 12:30pm.

For ages 6+ (who will hopefully be split into Junior and Senior groups) the cost is £38.40 per day (inc VAT) or £160 for the week, with each day running from from 10am - 3pm.

Email office@turningpointedanceschool.co.uk to book a space.

We have several exciting new classes that have been added to our summer 2024 timetable:

Junior and Senior Contemporary classes on Tuesdays at Oathall:

Contemporary Dance is an expressive form of dance that draws on influences from various other dance genres (including classical ballet) and gives students opportunities for creative interpretation and improvisation.

Junior and Senior Acro classes on Thursdays at Plumpton:

These classes are taught by an Acrobatic Arts qualified teacher and offer a unique opportunity to work on individual acrobatic skills and also learn dance routines with Acro moves incorporated into them.

Beginners Adult Tap on Tuesday evenings at Oathall:

Learn a brand new skill and get fit at the same time! Tap is not only great exercise, it is fantastic for building strength and stability in the joints and improving muscle memory and co-ordination. As well as being LOTS of fun!

Email office@turningpointedanceschool.co.uk for more information and to book a trial of any of these new classes

We are excited to share the great news that our Performance Company and Mini Performance Team dancers from Turning Pointe have won several medals at a recent dance competition!

Congratulations to all the students who participated and performed exceptionally well. Their dedication and hard work have paid off, and we are extremely proud of their achievements.

For many of our Mini Performance Team dancers, this was their first ever dance competition and they rose to the occasion and absolutely shone onstage. They came away with silver medals for their Jazz routine 'Cross the Line' choreographed by Rebecca Hastings.

Our Performance Company premiered their new Contemporary piece 'Vampire', choreographed by Abbie Van Den Herik, which won first place in Mixed Age Classical Groups. They also got gold medals for 'Baby Was a Dancer', choreographed by Lianne Carter, in Mixed Age Rhythmic Groups. They received lovely scores and feedback from the adjudicator about how committed everyone was to their performance, well done girls!

We also had several soloists competing over the weekend who all came away with gold or silver medals:
Beatrice Harris- Gold for Junior Ballet and silver for Junior Tap
Megan Lilley- Gold for Senior Modern
Jemima Cromby- Silver for Senior Modern
Maddie De Sylva- Silver for Senior Tap

Congratulations to all of you- it is no mean feat going onto a stage that you have never danced on before and holding the space all by yourself in front of an audience of mostly strangers. The personal growth and progress in your performance skills gained from these experiences are so important.

Our next competition will be South Theatre Arts Festival in July.

Parents- buy yourself some time to do that last minute shopping/wrapping/decorating in peace and book your children onto our two-day Christmas dance and craft workshop running on Monday 18th and Tuesday 19th December at Plumpton Village Hall!

For ages 4-6, the workshop will run from 9.30am-12.30pm, at a cost of £20+vat per day.

For ages 6-8 (older 6-year olds in year 2 at school, or those who parents feel would cope with a longer day) the workshop will run from 10am-3pm, at a cost of £32+vat per day.

Price includes all craft materials and squash and biscuits at breaktimes.

Please share this with family and friends as children from outside of Turning Pointe are very welcome to attend our workshops.

Email office@turningpointedanceschool.co.uk to book- spaces are strictly limited, so don't miss out!

On Friday 27th October we have a Masterclass with Rosina Andrews for ages 6+ (see details below) plus a Halloween-themed morning workshop (ages 4-6) and Halloween Disco in the evening for everyone to raise money for our new mirrors! (all at Plumpton Village Hall)

We are very excited about our Masterclass with Rosina Andrews, pioneer of the #RosinaAndrewsMethod and author of Pirouette Surgery, Leap Surgery and Dance Smarter- check her out on social media! Spaces will be strictly limited for this Masterclass, so don't miss out!

For Autumn term 2023 we are launching the following new classes:

• After-school clubs at Plumpton Primary School and Great Walstead School.
• Combined modern and tap classes for ages 4-7.
• Teenage beginner tap class.
• Adult beginner tap class.
• ByGwendolen stretch & strength flexibility class for ages 11+
• Creative Dance class for ages 3-5 in Lewes
• Introductory Ballet in Plumpton

Please email office@turningpointedanceschool.co.uk if you would like more information and to book a trial of any of these classes.

This summer we ran not just one, but two weeks of Summer Schools; one in Haywards Heath and one at Plumpton. Across the two weeks we welcomed over 70 students aged 4-19, who enjoyed classes in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Contemporary, Repertoire and Musical Theatre, as well as guest workshops in Acro, Classical Greek and Musical Theatre.

We have already booked the venues for both Summer Schools next year, so why not get organised and book your child a place now!?

Summer School in Haywards Heath 2024: 29^th July-3^rd August

Summer School in Plumpton 2024: 19^th-23^rd August

Email office@turningpointedanceschool.co.uk to book!

In August we held a graduation party for our very special seniors who are leaving to go onto university or dance colleges. Hazel Astbury will be joining other Turning Pointe alumni at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, and Téa Ellis will be starting a Musical Theatre course at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA).

Whatever their next steps, we wish all of our seniors the best of luck in the future- please keep in touch and come back and visit us in the holidays!