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Coastal View & Moor News Issue 17


Guide Dog Speaker in Loftus


Zoe - Dancing her way back home


And looking for the next Darcey Bussell or Billy Elliot


love being at home.”


Zoe said she would never have come this far without the help, support and encouragement of her family and friends.


“Now I’m back home to stay, I want to establish a serious ballet dance school for people who want to learn for fun, but also for those who want to make a career in dance,” said Zoe.


“I’m hoping to give them the best start, so when they’re 16 they’ll be able to go off to ballet school, like I did.


J


ulee Byrnes an Administrator from the Co-op’s Loftus Funeralcare Branch arranged for a speaker from the Guide Dogs Charity to attend St Josephs Primary School in Loftus to carry out an assembly to convey an understanding of what it is like to be blind, also the training and work that the guide dogs do on a daily basis to the children. The Guide Dogs Speaker asked questions


to the children and showed them how the dogs Harness works and informing them how the dog knows when it’s on duty and not on duty.


Julee said “I believe it is imperative for children to have an understanding of disabilities when they are young as they can take this with them into adulthood”. St Josephs Primary School kindly made a donation to The Guide Dogs Charity.


D


ancing since she was three years old and has never stopped dancing since, Ormesby born Zoe Bellamy, 21, says it’s time to pass on what she knows. Zoe told Coastal View: “I used to put on little shows in my house for my parents and use the bay window sill as my stage.” At the age of 16, Zoe received a £30,000 scholarship to enable her to go to the Northern Ballet School in Manchester, where after three years of training she was awarded the Professional Dance Diploma. This was swiftly followed by a top-up degree in dance from Middlesex University and she has recently achieved the London’s Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) Professional Dancers’ Teaching Diploma. As well as attaining all this, Zoe has appeared in shows in Hamburg, Germany and London’s West End and with the Northern Ballet School has danced in performances of Swan Lake, The Nutcracker Suite and Coppelia and worked with the Jazz Galore Music Company. Zoe said: “Everything I’ve done work wise has always been on short contracts, because I miss my family so much when I’m away. I


“In fact, my sister Holly, who is 18 is currently studying dance at Teesside University and as soon as she has finished her degree she will be helping me in the business.” Zoe believes ballet is the core of all types of dancing and helps with flexibility, posture and makes you look graceful. Bellamy School of Ballet now runs classes in Saltburn (see advertisement below for full details) and is hoping to run classes in other parts of East Cleveland, depending on demand.


“I always wanted to be a teacher, got into dance and now I’m a dance teacher. You’ve got to challenge kids otherwise they get bored,” said Zoe.


“Even though I went down the ballet route, I can also teach jazz, tap and street dancing. What am I going to do with all this knowledge inside, grow old without passing it on to someone else? It’s a real waste if I don’t pass on what I have learned to others.” Zoe has done so much in her life already and we found her to be a very engaging, confident and sincere young lady. She summed it all up by saying: “I’m very passionate about what I do and I have lots to give. I’m all about teaching the next generation. Dance is for all, boys and girls and who knows, maybe I can help find the next Darcey Bussell or Billy Elliot?”


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