The Team - Janette Phillips
I suppose that if the truth were known my interest in dancing started at an early age. I remember as a young girl dancing in front of the looking glass in my bedroom, then as I grew up and the boys, well at least the ones that I knew would not go dancing, they were the sporty type interested in football and rugby. Therefore it was put on hold.
Eventually I met “Mr Right”, but her again it was ‘blackmail’ – you come dancing with me, or else I won’t support your ‘boring’ cricket, and it worked !!!! Bernie and I both went to a school of dancing in Walthamstow and started to learn our “slows” and “quick’s”, then came the move to Chelmsford and a young baby.
Fortunately for us, our next door neighbough thought that we needed a night off once a week, so dancing resumed. We both started to take our medals, and when I could go no further and by which time my interest in “teaching” was beginning.
I started to study for the Profession Yes that was 30 years ago. Very frightened and very humble I began to teach, of course just me, because we had children and someone had to look after them.
We gradually built the school up from 1 night to 5 nights per week, there was a period when we had to close the children’s class, my father had died and mother was living with us. I expect that some of you remember “dear old mum” she used to sit there chatting to the caretaker, Jack Devine, but she was deaf so was shouting to the caretaker, or whosoever would listen to her. This was all whilst I was taking a class – quite embarrassing at times.
But life goes on with our parents gone and the children, no children anymore, we started to compete in friendly competitions with local schools, dance festivals etc.etc. We were even part of the ‘Supadance’ league for a few years, in fact a founder member, and doing quite well in fact.
However everything seemed to continue to go up and up, money wise that is, and less interest in the festivals by our pupils, we decided to put it all on hold for a while, and that is where we are now.
We now concentrate on attaining a good standard of dancing to put our medallists in for their medals with the ’Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing’. This society sets a very high standard, as a lot of you know.
We are a social school as well, holding regular Saturday night socials, parties at Christmas, and come the end of January we are off to Eastbourne for a long weekend. We have been doing this for many years and as you may know we meet up with another school from Harlow, and have lots of fun!!
For many years now the school has been achieving a very good, NO EXCELLENT, record with our medal tests, near 100% honours every time (pass mark of 85%), let’s not lose that record.
