DANCE has many well-documented benefits for everything from fitness and stamina to slowing cognitive decline.

All across the region dance schools are teaching the next generation of ballerinas, tap dancers and jivers. One such school is the Carrie School of Dancing.

Founded by Sharon Samuel, who grew up in Henllys in Cwmbran, 16 years ago, the school’s name has a very special meaning to the dance teacher.

“It’s my own dance school and it’s named after my Nan who has passed away, and it’s also my middle name. Her name was Caroline Samuel, but everyone called her Carrie. She was someone I looked up to when growing up.

“I auditioned at the age of 16 to gain a place at Studios La Pointe (now known as SLP College) in Leeds. I gained sponsorship and rained up there at the performing arts and teacher training college.”

Ms Smith went on to teach in Monmouth and Chepstow and then in a school in Swansea. She then started to open her own school, with the support of her family.

The school is based in Fairhill Methodist Church in Cwmbran, but classes are also taught all over the region. They teach ballet, tap, modern dance and jazz dancing which is done to pop music. They also recently started parent and toddler classes.

While Ms Smith, who teaches all the classes, gets great enjoyment from dance, it’s the experience of the children that makes it worthwhile.

“I see the dancers grow,” she said. “To see the shyest and quietest children gain confidence and take exams. In our show there were children performing who wouldn’t even dance in front of their parents and yet they were up on stage performing in front of 200 people.

“We take them from the age of two and a half, and we have 16-year-olds who have just done their GCSEs and with the support of each other they managed to do the show and their exams. We also had a seventeen-year-old who has only been dancing for six months and has never danced before, she got up on the stage and had the commitment and support of everyone else.”

The dance school recently had a show in aid of the charity CLIC Sargent.

“We sold out two of the performances,” Ms Smith added, “and to see the children’s reactions on stage is wonderful. They were loving it and you could see them gain confidence. One child has learning problems when she does a school production a teaching assistant holds her hand at the side of the stage because they are afraid she might fall off or not stay still.

“But during our show she was dancing on the stage without anyone holding her and her mum and dad were in tears because they never thought she would be able to do it. So we give everyone the opportunity to dance.

“We are very lucky to have past students who are in university or those who are working who come back to us to visit. They helped out backstage at the show. The dancers form a lovely friendship and look up to each other. They gain friends and skills that they keep long after they have left the dance school.”

For more information about the Carrie School of Dancing call 07890 877 417.