About Brackley Ballet School.
THE SCHOOL
Brackley Ballet School was formed when Ann Steedman returned from teaching full time in London in 1967 and at first taught alongside her sister Monica Taylor in Brackley . Gradually her own school developed.
All classes were originally in Brackley from 1968, but in 1990 the whole school moved to Westbury where there was spacious room with two studios. When Westbury area was re-developed in 2003 the school then moved to its present premises at both Farthinghoe and Towcester
PRINCIPAL: Ann Steedman.
A.R.AD. Adv. Teacher’s Diploma. Life member of R.A.D.
Ann has been a dancer all her life since age three passing all her Royal Academy Examinations and gaining the bronze, silver and gold medals in tap dance with I.S.T.D. and modern and national dance. She was the first girl in Northamptonshire to be awarded a county grant for training in ballet and the theatre arts.
As a student Ann trained in London with Mme. Judith Espinosa and that famous family and later with Mr. Andrew Hardie. A wide and varied career followed. Ann was in “The Three Arts “ Ballet Co., dancing in “Swan Lake” and “Les Sylphides” and other classics, appeared on T.V. and in West End Cabaret, and with The Imperial Opera Co. Ballet in “Faust” and “Die Fledermaus”.
She was Principal Dancer and Ballet Mistress with Pantomimes and Musicals including “Jack and Jill” at the Theatre Royal, Bath and in “Cinderella” and “Robinson Crusoe” for Howard and Wyndham in Glasgow and Edinburgh. For a time she worked under the name of Nicola Shaw.
Ann was in the original production of “Oklahoma!” where she met and married the well known actor Tony Steedman in 1957and they had a daughter Amanda in 1959 who now lives in America and Ann has three grandsons. Her marriage ended officially in 1966 and her teaching career began in Warwick and then with the Stella Mann School, London. During this time she became a Royal Academy Examiner and gained her Advanced Teacher’s Exam. in 1966.
In 1967 Ann returned to Brackley and her school grew in name. She taught at Winchester House School, Brackley for 13 years and at the famous Stowe Public School for 3 years. For many years she choreographed shows for Magdalen College School, Brackley, noteably “West Side Story”, “The Boy Friend “, ”Grease” and “Noye’s Fludde” and “The Tempest”. Her own production called “Epiphany!” in St Peter’s Church caused much interest and praise and was reported on B.B.C. Radio.
She was made a Life Member in 1982 of The Royal Academy of Dance. An artist, her work is on sale at Haywrack Gallery at Church Stowe near Weedon and she writes and illustrates her own children’s illustrated stories. Her life story named “The Glow” was a success in book form in 1999 and is available at The Old Hall Bookshop in Brackley.
CLAIRE GREEN
a young teacher with the school did all her training with Ann Steedman since age 8 and gained all her R.A,.D. examinations and qualifying as a registered teacher in 1996.
Claire teaches in Towcester as well as for the school and takes the tinies and young ones in the new R.A.D. syllabus for little dancers and young ones as well as up to Grade 8 and the new Intermediate Foundation. Claire organises the RAD Exam sessions for the school three times a year.