CHANTRAINE SCHOOL OF DANCE

My first impression of Chantraine dance was Françoise Chantraine’s smile: she stood on stage at the Salle Pleyel in Paris, waiting for music that didn’t arrive, and she simply smiled at the audience as if to say, “It’s all fine!”. I discovered at that moment that a problem really can be transformed into something positive. After 5 years of watching my children dance Chantraine, I thought for the first time that I might like to try a class for myself.

That first class was magical. It rekindled the huge childhood love I’d had for dance, which I’d forgotten. I wanted to know more, understand more, be able to do more – and more. And then this huge love of dance and the real possibility of finding the positive in every problem inspired in me to dare to teach Chantraine, to share it with others.

At first, I started 2 children’s classes, fitting them into my family life and my job as a university lecturer. Gradually, Chantraine expanded while my interest in academic law shrank as I reduced my full-time job to part-time. Chantraine offered me a balanced life which was not possible in university teaching, and eventually I was able to retire and become a full-time Chantraine teacher in Wanstead and NW London.

Now I’m responsible for the Chantraine School in the UK. I have the joy of collaborating with the Chantraine teachers in the UK and in France, I train and mentor new teachers here and I teach Chantraine in NW and E London. I know how extraordinarily privileged I am, to be able to share the joys and challenges of the art of dance, and the art of living, with so many. My great wish is for more and more people, of all ages, to discover the joy and inspiration offered by Chantraine so that their lives too can become richer in the things that really matter.

As a child of four, my first Chantraine memories were: the stories and characters within the choreographies, the softness of Pat’s voice (founder of the UK school), the anticipation of being able to jump lots, and laughter with friends, some of whom I’m still in touch with almost 40 years on.

After graduating from university, I spent three months helping Pat teach her Chantraine classes as she recovered from knee surgery. I experienced classes enjoyed by a wide range of ages, going all the way up to 90 years. For the first time I was able to see what Chantraine dance meant to dancers of any age and ability, I wanted to be a part of every class, to join the teachers in bringing Chantraine dance to all dancers. I love that as a Chantraine teacher, you are always a pupil, attending classes, workshops, festivals and galas, with the opportunity to perform with an international ensemble.

I began teaching children in the NW London centre on Saturday mornings, so I was still able to work full-time in the media industry during the week. Three children and a move out of London later, and I was ready to launch a Chantraine dance centre in Amersham. With four dancers at home, we fit life around dance!

As pupil, teacher, child, adult, beginner or advanced dancer, no two Chantraine dance classes are the same. The scope for learning about movement, music, art, nature and life in a Chantraine dance class is infinite. I recently launched adult classes at the Amersham centre and it has been such a rewarding and enlightening experience. My hope for the future is for dancers of any age and ability in the Chilterns to have the opportunity to try a Chantraine class.

When I phoned to enquire about the classes, Patricia’s warm welcome was pivotal . I was directed to Kate Green’s class in Wanstead  in such a pleasant manner I felt welcome from the beginning.

In the first class I went to , I entered to the music of Prokofiev, a favourite composer, and felt that I had “come home”. As time went on, I discovered the huge range of Chantraine choreographies.  And when I first met Françoise Chantraine, I found her kindness and her interest in every single person remarkable, especially given all her talent and achievements in dance.

I was attending Chantraine classes when I was Chief Officer of a London  Age UK centre and looking for a change of direction. I then started assisting Patricia with her older person’s class, and, when her health failed, I took on the class myself. And I began to discover the vast, invisible underpinnings of the whole method and the huge resources available to explore the mysteries of dance and of life. So, becoming a Chantraine teacher evolved quite naturally, out of the circumstances I found myself in.

​Or perhaps, fitting my life into my dance! With a partner and family as well as  other commitments, I still make it possible to attend two classes as a pupil and teach three classes myself. Chantraine is like an oasis in my life, a safe, warm and welcoming space where everyone is enabled to do their best

I especially would like to develop the seated Chantraine classes. It is so important to offer people with restricted mobility the chance to move as much as they can and to release their imagination to visit other places , that they may no longer physically be able to.

For my other classes,  I love to see the benefit  dance brings. Chantraine remains an adventure for teacher and  pupil alike. I am keen to maintain this adventuring together, exploring the depths of dance and overturning stereotypes of what older adults can or cannot do,  as well as having fun.

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I started dancing Chantraine Dance in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire when I was 14 years old. Jane Greenstreet was my teacher. I was looking for a different style of dance with a friendly atmosphere having previously gone to ballet and tap classes since I was little. I remember thinking how creative it was dancing with imagery from the natural world and how I looked forward to the classes as there was a focus on the positive. Having joined Chantraine Dance  from a stage school with lots of strict rules this friendly class was a breath of fresh air!

The possibility of becoming a Chantraine dance teacher came at the right time in my life. The director of the UK school invited me and others to attend teaching sessions to learn more about the pedagogy and the process of training with the aim to inspire more people to teach. I found the sessions fascinating and enjoyed deepening my knowledge of how to teach Chantraine. I decided then that I wanted to teach my own classes that were friendly, inclusive, creative, joyful and allowed people to freely express themselves through dance.

I have a full time job and after a busy day in the office I really look forward to going to my Chantraine Dance class in the evening. I also love going to Chantraine Dance workshops in London and France whenever I can throughout the year. I live in Hove, East Sussex and run regular workshops for adults in Brighton and Hove on weekends.

Creating a space for community, friendship and creativity through dance is something I aspire to and I’d like to be part of enabling people’s growth in dance and in life. I would like to build the Chantraine Dance centre in Brighton and Hove by teaching more workshops and start a regular evening class for adults. I would also like to expand my teaching into different age groups, including children.

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I came across Chantraine at a London weekend workshop and was initially attracted the sense of freedom and space to express my own ideas through movement. When I learnt that there was a summer school in France coming up, I jumped at the chance.

At this summer school I met Françoise and was bowled over by her aura, her presence, her humanity, her radiance, and the extraordinariness of watching her dance. I could see that Chantraine dance had a depth and artistry and that her choreographies spoke of life in all its nuances. I liked the use of poetic language in the classes to describe the gestures and steps within a choreography. I was also drawn to the sensorial approach which meant that each gesture was ‘lived’ and ‘felt’. I realized that Chantraine was something very special.

My passion to dance grew and I relished the opportunities to perform on stages in London, Geneva and Paris as well as at jumble sales, local dance events and school fairs! One of the highlights of each year has been the Chantraine Festivals that each UK centre holds. This brings together all the pupils, showcasing their work for the year and sharing their joy in dance.

I had considered being a dance teacher before university but decided to complete a Maths degree and to simply attend dance classes where possible. However, when I started attending weekly Chantraine I quickly realized that I would like to find out more and to potentially teach this method that reaches out to all ages and all abilities.

I like that there are many routes into Chantraine dance. For some it is the positive approach in classes or the opportunities for personal development or finding a harmony in their lives. For others, it is the sheer artistry of the choreographies and the artistry that we are each encouraged to develop in each part of a class. I loved the way we build up the depth and richness in a choreography, a choreography where meaning is at its heart, whether it is humorous, speaks of the flow of a river or the pulse of the African Bush.

My career has always been in education, opening horizons for people. I could see that Chantraine offers this to each one of us and, throughout my time as a Chantraine teacher I have loved helping people grow. Since we are always a pupil as well as a teacher we can continue to grow and develop while teaching. There is a constant cycle of nourishment. So, teaching Chantraine dance has enabled me to move forwards in living my own life more fully and more positively and now I try every day to ‘dance my life’.

I started teaching Chantraine shortly after my second child was born and fitted it in around being a mother, a part time Primary School teacher and a Forest School leader. I established a Centre in High Wycombe beginning with just 3 classes. The Centre grew as I added more classes but the bulk of my teaching was on a Saturday when my husband took charge of our children, but I also used a childminder and baby sitter to teach classes on a weekday afternoon and evening.

Later, I found great joy in offering day workshops in High Wycombe and London. I enjoyed the challenge of creating a satisfying day for a huge range of ages and dance experience. There is something magic about seeing a 9 year old and an 80 year old dancing together!

5 Years ago, I moved to the Isle of Arran in Scotland and am continuing to dance my life despite a hip replacement and a few other ailments. Chantraine enables us to dance fully whether we can leap or dance from a chair and this is a great testament to its power.

At present I am enjoying attending weekly classes via Zoom and occasional weekend workshops in London and Paris. I have also taught some of the London day workshops as guest teacher.