AN EARLEY theatre school is moulding aspiring dancers into the next generation of professional performers.

The Lodge School of Theatre Dance has been running from Holmes Road since 2011, and is producing a catalogue of up-and-coming dancers who are passing their national exams with flying colours.

Children and young people from across the Reading and Wokingham boroughs, aged from two upwards, can take up four specialist areas of dance, going from the basics in ballet, modern, tap, and jazz and turning into seasoned professionals.

Principal Sarah-Jane Bullock, who has been running the school for 25 years, believes standards have improved since it moved to permanent premises four years ago.

She said: “It used to be the Beryl Jarvis School and we were having lessons in church halls. Now we have got somewhere permanent it has become a familiar base for the students – it feels like home.

“It means we can run more lessons, and the children are used to where they are learning. The whole school has become a lot more professional.

“Most of our students are getting called up by the top colleges with scholarships, and we always have them ringing us back to ask for more successful pupils.

“They know that the training we produce is some of the best in Berkshire.

“Children who learn here now see everything full circle, as former students who have gone on to do well come back and teach.

“We have had students go on to theatre and television, with some getting roles in Matilda and Billy Elliot.

The school is inviting anyone who wishes to take up dance, whether it’s a youngster hoping to one day hit the West End stage or an adult looking for a new hobby – to come along for a free introductory lesson.

l For more information about lessons and qualifications call 0845 373 1430 or go online to www.thelodgeschoolofdance.com