School Profile

The Helen Laxton School of Dance was founded in Yeovil, Somerset in 1987. The school began  with just three pupils and it just kept growing and growing!! Thousands of children have learnt to dance at the school and many past pupils are now employed as dancers, dance teachers and in other dance related careers all over the world. Over the years the school has donated thousands of pounds to medical and local charities and numerous pupils have been awarded scholarships and bursaries to help them with their dance training.

The school principal, Helen Laxton L.R.A.D. A.R.A.D. R.T.S. A.I.S.T.D.(Mod) A.I.S.T.D.(Nat) is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dance in London and is a fully qualified, registered teacher. Helen is also a mentor for students studying for The Royal Academy of Dance Certificate in Ballet Teaching studies which allows pupils to qualify as a teacher of Dance on a distance learning programme.

The school teaches Royal Academy of Dance Ballet, Imperial Society of Teachers Dance Modern Stage, Jazz, Disco, Hip Hop, Street Dance, Pre school Ballet, Toddlers Dance and Groove and Tap dance.

The school accepts girls and boys from two and a half years of age to adult.

Principal

Helen Laxton L.R.A.D, A.R.A.D. R.T.S. A.I.S.T.D.(MOD) A.I.S.T.D.(NAT)

 Helen learnt to dance at a local school in Exeter from the age of 3 and passed all of her Royal Academy of Dance Ballet Examinations completing the syllabus at Advanced 2 level. At seventeen Helen was lucky enough to be offered a place to study dance at The Royal Ballet School, The Rambert School of Dance and The Royal Academy of Dance. Helen chose to study at The Royal Academy of Dance where she gained teaching certificates in Royal Academy of Dance Ballet, grades and majors, Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance Modern Stage grades and majors, Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance National Dance, Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance Ballroom and Advanced Laban Notation. She also studied jazz and contemporary dance, historical dance, child psychology, child development, history of dance, choreography and anatomy. 

 After graduating from The Royal Academy of Dance, Helen danced and choreographed professionally with a company in Austria and also worked on modeling assignments. Whilst in Austria Helen also taught Ballet, Jazz and Tap to students from 3 years to adult.

 On returning to the U.K. Helen taught at a  ballet school in Exeter before moving to Yeovil with her husband in 1987 when the Helen Laxton School of Dance was founded.  

 Helen has recently been made a mentor for Royal Academy of Dance's Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies. This will allow her senior pupils to continue to study dance in Somerset and to become fully qualified Ballet teachers with a worldwide recognised teaching certificate.

 The school has always had extremely high examination results in both Royal Academy of Dance Ballet and Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance Modern Theatre Dance with 99% of children gaining Merit or Distinction marks. We are the only school in the area to have large numbers of senior students completing their Grade 8 Ballet examinations and Vocational qualifications up to and including Advanced level in both Ballet and Modern Dance. Successful completion of the Intermediate examination gives eligibility to the Academy’s Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies (CBTS) and to two degree programmes offered by the Academy, and validated by the University of Durham . Vocational Graded Examination qualifications including Grade 6, 7 & 8 are accredited in England , Wales and Northern Ireland by the QCA, ACCAC and CCEA respectively and can be included in candidate's Records of Achievement for Vocational Schools, Universities, and Colleges of Higher Education and employment.

 In recent years the school has had many pupils successfully auditioning for top Ballet and Musical Theatre Schools in the UK including The Royal Academy of Dance, The Royal Ballet School, Central Ballet School, London Studio Centre, Laine Theatre Arts, The Urdang Academy, Millenium School, Arts Educational School, Stella Mann and The Hammond School.  Many pupils have also continued their dance training at universities and Colleges. Many ex pupils are now working professionally in theatre, media and television whilst others are teaching and studying dance.

Contact Information

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General Information: watkinsaj@aol.com

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