The Welland School of Dancing has been holding classes in Stamford since 1964; Teaching the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) syllabus for Ballet, and the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (ISTD) syllabus for Tap and Modern Theatre. Current principal Maggie Purr A.R.A.D. R.A.D. R.T.S. took over the school in September 2010. Former principal, Anne Desbruslais F.I.S.T.D. C.D.E is still involved with the Welland School of Dancing in her capacity as school patron.
Maggie Purr,Principal of WSD 2010 – present
Maggie is a former pupil of Welland School of Dancing. Under the tutelage of Miss Desbruslais, Maggie gained a place at the Royal Ballet School as a senior associate, and then at Central School of Ballet in 1996, trained by Christopher and Carole Gable.
Nicole Ryan
Film and Television – Lead Role
Gemma Jackson
Gemma left the Welland School of Dance in 2005 to pursue her career as a professional dancer. She was offered a full time scholarship at Cambridge performing Arts on the musical theatre course, where she studied for four years.
Alexandra Smith
Tiffany Theatre College, Company Manager P&O and princess cruises
Emily Griffiths
Hammond School, P&O and costa cruises
Poppy Brewell
Bird College
Lavinia Kastamoniti
Lavinia, originally from Greece, began her dancing from an early age in Corfu with her mother Tina Chandley (training: Northern Ballet School) as her teacher.
Charley May
Pirouette Scchool – Leicester, Teacher WSD, TuDance and Inspire.
Emily Boswall
Ballet Theatre UK school
Alice Cade
Trinity Laban, Founder of Abalinodance theatre
Jenny Richardson
I started at Welland when i was 3 years old doing ballet classes every Tuesday, then at 7 I joined tap and modern classes.
Chloe Jackson
Royal Ballet school, Arts Educational Tring Park
Chloe Hebden
Billy Elliott, Hebden School of Dancing
Marina Fraser
Royal Ballet School
Katie Green
WSD Pupil 1984-2000
Kizze Burkitt
Since joining at the age of four, Welland has instilled in me an absolute passion for dance that has fundamentally shaped the course of my life.
Harriet Britten
What The Welland did for me?
I will forever be grateful for what my time at The Welland taught me, I have always loved dance and always will, as well as this, throughout my 9 years there, I learnt how to be disciplined; in a way that I now pass on to my pupils.
Robert Wilkes
Robert trained at London Studio Centre.
Phil Norton
Former WSD Pupil
Phil joined the Welland School of Dancing at the age of 3 and attended classes until he was 18. In that time, he took part in the school's main shows, performances at local fetes and took many exams.
Julie Lowe
I was at Welland from September 1973 to Easter 1975 (I think).
It was my first teaching job after leaving Bush Davies where I had trained for 3 years.
Carol Cunnington
50 years at WSD as pupil, friend, helper and mother.Little did I realise when I started taking ballet lessons at Stamford High School with Mrs Mitchell-Smith in 1964 that in 2014 (50 years later!) I would still be going to classes at the Welland.
Emma Coupland
Northern Ballet school
Sinead Swift
Tiffany theatre college
Angela Wilson
London Studio Centre
Grace McDermott
Masters Performing Arts College