A TEIGNBRIDGE dance school has been announced as a finalist in a prestigious international dance award

The Wendy Sandercock Academy of Dance is one of shortlisted schools from around the gobe to have made it through to the finals of the Dance School of the Year Awards.

‘It really is quite an accolade for us,’ said principal Wendy Sandercock.

‘This is the fourth consecutive time we have made it through to the finals and we won both silver and gold awards on two of those occasions. And the fact we’re not just up against other UK-based dance schools but also those from around the world means we are up there with our peers.’

Now in its ninth year, the awards were founded by former dance teacher Anne Walker MBE to celebrate the achievements of dance schools who so often do not receive the recognition they deserve.

Finalists represent schools of all sizes and all genres from ballet to hip-hop and ballroom to contemporary.

Entries were received from across the UK and Europe as well as Canada, Ireland, USA, Bahrain, Malaysia, Finland, India and Australia in five categories dependent on the number of students each school has.

This year saw the largest ever number of entries. The pandemic has shown just how important dance teachers are in the lives of a large proportion of the population.

Dance teachers everywhere took to technology to support their students mental and physical well-being by offering online classes as well as moral support while the world was stranded at home.

Said the awards creator Anne Walker: ‘Dance teachers should be applauded and celebrated. So much more than just a teacher – they are almost a substitute parent to many of their students as they are role models, mentors and social workers, offering support, stability and a disciplined approach to life.’

‘Fellow dance teachers have supported me in my career over many years and now I hope, through these awards, we can all celebrate the life-long passion for dance and the achievements of dance teachers everywhere.’

The winners will be revealed at the awards ceremony which takes place on October 29 at Exeter’s Sandy Park.