The Helen Laxton Dance Company

The Helen Laxton School of Dance

The school principal, Helen Laxton LRAD, ARAD, AISTD(Mod) AISTD(Nat) AIDTA, RTS is a Graduate, Licentiate & Life Member of the Royal Academy of Dance. Helen is a fully qualified, registered teacher with over 45 years of experience in performing and teaching Dance. Helen is also a mentor for students studying for The Royal Academy of Dance Certificate in Ballet Teaching studies which allows her pupils to qualify as teachers of Dance and to gain an internationally recognized teaching qualification.
 
The Helen Laxton School of Dance was founded in Yeovil, Somerset in 1986. The school began with just three pupils and it just kept growing and growing! Thousands of children have benefitted from dance classes with us and many happy memories have been made!

 

Since the school was founded, our pupils have consistently excelled in dance examinations, gaining QCA-accredited qualifications that have helped them access further education opportunities. Our pupils have gained places at all of the UK’s leading dance and performing arts colleges and universities, while others have gone on to train at prestigious dance institutions overseas. Many pupils have trained with us to become fully-qualified Royal Academy of Dance Ballet teachers, ISTD Tap & Modern Dance Teachers and Acrobatic Arts Teachers.

 

Our pupils have the opportunity to perform and compete locally every year, improving their confidence, skills and love of performing. Some of the highlights over the past 40 years have included, performing with The Royal Ballet Company at The Royal Opera House, Ballet Theatre UK, London Children’s Ballet, National Youth Ballet and other professional ballet companies; performing alongside the Strictly Come Dancing stars on tour and performing in numerous professional pantomimes in Yeovil, Weymouth and Taunton. Other memorable events include numerous “Everybody Dance” productions involving the entire school, “Dance Sing Shine” performances, full-length musical theatre productions with The Somerset School of Performing Arts and our Christmas spectaculars. Through these productions, we have raised many thousands of pounds to help local and national children’s charities. 

Our most recent performance highlight was taking a group of dancers to Disneyland Paris to perform on the huge Videopolis stage and in the magical Disney parade, A truly unforgettable experience for all of our dancers and their families! 

 

Many of our pupils have gone on to enjoy successful professional careers in dance and performing arts. They have worked in the West End, on Broadway, in UK and worldwide tours; worked as backing dancers and choreographers for global superstars; performed at Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong; performed on cruise ships; danced with Ballet and Contemporary companies; musical theatre companies; and appeared in films, television and radio productions. 

Whilst many pupils choose not to pursue professional careers in dance, performing or teaching, we are continually told how much their time at our school has improved their confidence, supported their physical and mental wellbeing, helped them to form lifelong friendships and given them a whole range of skills that they can use throughout their lives.

 

We are extremely lucky to have an incredible team of teachers, all former pupils of HLDC, who work tirelessly to share their passion, expertise, enthusiasm and love of dance with the next generation. They inspire and nurture our pupils, helping each and every one become the best dancer and performer they can be.