A NEW stage school that has been launched after dance was cut from a Ramsey school’s curriculum because of financial pressure has waltzed its way to impressive enquiry numbers.
Laura Walkom, who has opened a prestigious LIPA 4:19 academy in Union Lane, off Market Square, Ramsey, has received hundreds of enquiries from prospective parents and students, including many of her former students.
More than 70 potential students attended a special open day last Saturday when they got a taster of the classes on offer.
Laura decided to open a performing arts academy after her former students launched a Facebook campaign to save her dance classes at Ramsey Grammar School.
She has now been awarded a stage school franchise from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA), which was co-founded by Sir Paul McCartney and Mark Featherstone-Witty.
She said: ‘I knew that the stage school would prove popular as there is a real demand for performing arts education here, but I didn’t expect to get quite as many enquiries as we have done.
‘Dance is no longer provided anywhere in mainstream education on the island, and without proper teaching children won’t be able to realise their ambitions. Indeed, if children from the Isle of Man want to study at an institution on the mainland, such as LIPA, they might not be of the right standard or be taken seriously. Hopefully with the creation of LIPA 4:19 here, we can give them the proper foundations across all three disciplines.’
Kerry Watkins, principal of LIPA 4:19, said: ‘Our process for awarding franchises is very stringent and we look for people like Laura, who have a strong performing arts backgrounds as well as a good head for business. Laura has shown that there is certainly an appetite for performing arts education in the Isle of Man and we’re confident that she will provide the highest standard of performing arts education that has become our benchmark.’
LIPA 4:19 offers curriculum-based classes in singing, dancing and acting for children aged between four and 19 and is the only stage school linked into an established performing arts institution. LIPA 4:19 has franchises in the North West of England and in London.