– 13th april 2023 –
MISS FREYA AND TIM GET MARRIED
Wowee!!! Our wedding day finally arrived and what a gorgeous day it was. Tim and I tied the knot at St. Michael’s Church in Lyme Regis and are now Mr. and Mrs. Bell!!!
Thank you to all our wonderful Lyme School of Ballet members who have sent cards and such generous wedding gifts to us – we have been left speechless by your kindness.
Thank you also to the girls who sneakily organised a Ballet Arch for Tim, myself and all our guests as we left the Church. What an amazing surprise and it is something we will never ever forget it! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Here are some piccies of the day… Enjoy 🙂
Love Miss Freya / Miss Belle / Mrs. Bell x
Photos by Melanie Cornish of Memories & Milestones Photography
– 14th december 2022 –
jurassic business awards 2022
– 31st october 2022 –
halloween extravaganza in aid of children in need
Lyme School of Ballet recently held a ‘Halloween Extravaganza’ event to raise money for Children In Need.
During the entire week commencing the 31st of October, we asked that students came along to their ballet classes in their spookiest costumes. Our dancers did their pliés and pirouettes to Halloween inspired music and we danced to the themes of pumpkins, cackling witches, scurrying mice and much much more! There were toffee apple prizes for the best dressed dancers, rosettes for our runners up, and lots of sweets and sugar!
We raised a grand total of £265.48 and are so proud to have managed to raise so much for such a fabulous cause.
This was the first Charity Fundraising event in Lyme School of Ballet’s history and we definitely plan to up our game in the near future! We are very excited to make this the first of many fundraising events – watch this space!
Love Miss Freya x
Photos by Lyme School of Ballet students and Tim Bell.
– 13th august 2022 –
lyme regis carnival procession
Lyme School of Ballet (LSB) performed as part of the Lyme Regis Regatta and Carnival’s Grand Carnival Procession for the second time in our history – let’s hope this becomes a regular appearance for our dancers!
LSB danced down the high-street and along the promenade for just over a mile as the sun set over Lyme Regis. We had luminous tutus, tiaras, a HUGE ballet dinosaur, pointe shoes, a ballet barre and lots of gorgeous music floating from our very own ballet van!
The crowds particularly loved our rendition of the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Doll On A Music Box – the seniors’ version was that danced by Truly Scrumptious herself! Another highlight was the traditional Ukrainian dancing that our senior girls had prepared. They danced to foot stomping traditional music, wearing long black and ribbon embellished skirts and a floral Ukrainian headdress, while our younger dancers accompanied them with Ukrainian decorated tambourines. We even did an encore at the end of the procession for a Ukrainian crowd – including a very tired Miss Freya 😛
Huge thanks to all who made this possible, especially Steve Parsons for the loan of his van and expert technical support, and Heather Lovett, Timothy Bell, Sophia Lovett, Ellie Bollons and Steve Lovett for organisational expertise and support. Humungous thanks from Miss Freya to my wonderful dancers for their absolutely fantastic performance too!
What an unforgettable evening it was – here’s to next time! Love Miss Freya x
Photos by Rob James and Tim Bell.
– 9TH AUGUST 2022 –
Lyme school of ballet On The Promenade
Lyme School of Ballet (LSB) performed on the Lyme Regis Promenade, as part of the Lyme Regis Regatta and Carnival Week 2022, for a debut open-air beach show.
The performance lasted nearly two hours with II Acts and hundreds of people gathered to watch our dancers – the atmosphere was euphoric for all involved! Our performers were as young as 4 and a half years of age and the group included dancers from each level of class offered at Lyme School of Ballet.
One particular highlight was seeing the crowd’s response to our students’ nod to Ukraine. Our senior girls had prepared numerous pieces of traditional Ukrainian Character Dancing, wearing long black and ribbon embellished skirts, heeled black shoes and a floral Ukrainian headdress. Our younger dancers wore blue and yellow ribbons and accompanied our seniors with Ukrainian decorated tambourines. Lyme School of Ballet thoroughly enjoyed showing our support for Ukraine and can only hope that we did the traditional Ukrainian style justice.
We are all very proud of our dancers’ achievements here at Lyme School of Ballet HQ! Well done and thank you!
Love Miss Freya x
Photos by Rob James and Tim Bell.
– 15TH MAY 2022 –
LYME REGIS MAY FETE
What a day we all had performing on the Anning Road Playing Fields as part of the Lyme Regis May Fete!
Unfortunately, the weather was horrendous… The rain finally stopped just before we were due to perform but as soon as we were ready to go, waiting in the arena with the music about to play, the heavens opened and goodness me we got drenched!!! Everyone remained massively professional and, although we all looked a little shocked, the girls danced their hearts out despite being soaked through and very cold. What a set of troopers we have at Lyme School of Ballet with unwavering determination!!!
The crowds LOVED the girls’ first performance. The cheers were fantastically loud, even over the sound of howling winds and pouring rain. The Mayor and Mayoress of Lyme Regis were particularly taken with our girls too and arranged for a stream of hot chocolates to warm us all up as we ran back into the Pavilions.
To my amazement and pride our girls defied expectations and returned to the arena with massive grins, even though we were all still soaking wet, one and a half hours later for a second performance. Goodness me, that was a performance and a half and everyone LOVED it.
Thank you so so so much to my girls (teenies, teens and adults) for all your efforts and determination on the day. How proud you made all at Lyme School of Ballet HQ!
Oh… and look at who became headliners in the local paper…………..
Here’s to our next public outdoor performance. Let’s hope for some sunshine!!!!
Love Miss Freya x
Photos by Rob James and Tim Bell.
– FEBRUARY 2022 –
Lyme Regis Pantomime – FAIRY NIGHTSONGS
Huge thanks to all our beautiful Fairies (Oranges, Grasses, Lavenders, Bluebells and Blossoms) for all your hard work and commitment to our most recent performance!
Our dancers transformed into Tinkerbell’s friends in a moonlit forest during the Lyme Regis Pantomime Society’s production of Peter Pan. 10 dancers, aged between 6 and 16 years, worked tirelessly to perfect a group piece that showcased the breadth and depth of Lyme School of Ballet’s students’ abilities!
You all danced beautifully and made some wonderful memories for audience and Lyme School of Ballet members alike – thank you! Lyme School of Ballet are exceptionally proud of you all…
Photos by Rob James and Tim Bell.
– January 2022 –
the royal academy of dance has undergone a striking new re-brand…
Lyme School of Ballet (LSB) are proud to be part of a global network of dance teaching professionals who work tirelessly to inspire the world to dance. The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) and LSB are on a mission to dance the world healthy and happy, all while sharing our love for classical ballet.
Following the RAD’s centenary celebrations in 2020, here’s to a new era for the RAD and a new injection of spirit and resilience to the world of ballet, particularly following such a difficult couple of years navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Watch the RAD’s new brand story and all about the launch of their new identity here: https://youtu.be/GClL_9lPAng
You can read more about what’s new at the RAD, including news about the new Headquarters building in London, here: www.royalacademyofdance.org
#ProudToBeRAD!!!
Photo courtesy of the RAD.
– march 2021 –
‘A DAY IN THE LIFE OF KATY ROY’ AT TRING PARK SCHOOL FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Despite all the challenges and adversity that faced so many youngsters embarking on life at a new school in September 2020, Katy Roy began her studies with Tring Park School for the Performing Arts like a star!
Tring is a renowned school for the pre-professional training of Dancers and Performing Artists, offering many courses for aspiring professionals to advance their vocational training. Katy is currently studying their 3-year Trinity Level 6 Diploma in Professional Dance alongside 2 A-Level qualifications.
In the depths of COVID-19 Lockdowns, Katy has found herself moving back to her Axminster home numerous times, before moving all the way back to Hertfordshire at the drop of a hat! Despite such upheavals, and the need to adapt to full-time online dance classes, Katy’s resilience and determination secured her fantastic end of term results for her very first full term of study.
Despite the challenges that 2020 brought us, and 2021 continues to bring, Katy really is thriving! Follow this link to read an article, written by Katy, all about her studies with Tring!
‘A Day In The Life of Katy’ at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts
Keeeeeeep dancing!!
Love from Miss Freya x
Photos by Ashley Roy.
– JUNE 2020 –
ADVANCED 1 RAD PUPIL, KATY ROY, HAS BEEN OFFERED A PLACE AT TRING PARK SCHOOL FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS!
It is with huge excitement and mountains of pride that we can announce Katy Roy has been offered a place to begin her pre-professional vocational dance training at the prestigious Tring Park School for the Performing Arts.
Katy will be studying the Trinity Level 6 Diploma in Professional Dance alongside 2 A-Level qualifications. She will commence her studies in September 2020 and make the courageous move away from her home in Axminster in the next few months!
Katy has studied for many years as a pupil at Lyme School of Ballet and has excelled in local performances and RAD Examinations alike. Her most recent RAD Examination, Advanced Foundation, was taken completely solo and Katy received a fantastically high Distinction mark. She should be exceptionally proud of her dance talent and dedication to the art form!
We wish Katy every success in her new adventure and we will all miss her very much! You may be walking the same corridors as Lily James (Disney’s Cinderella) and Ella Henderson (X-Factor Finalist) but please do come back and dance through our corridors once again.
Read an article about Katy’s achievements from the Midweek Herald here:
With all our love in the world Katy!
Miss Freya, Mrs Chase and all at Lyme School of Ballet x
Photos by Ashley Roy.
– 25th January 2020 –
Exceptional RAD ballet examination results
Pupils from Lyme School of Ballet, pictured here, have been working very hard towards their Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) Ballet qualifications, and have once again been extremely successful.
The RAD examination results are as follows:
Primary in Dance passed with Merit by Madi Apps, Freya Harp and Elodie Hide. Grade One passed with Merit by Arabella Newton. Grade Four passed with Merit by Daisy Merrett, Daisy O’Leary, Lucie Sivier-Voller, Daisy Smith, Klara Smith and Cody Wootton, and with Distinction by Esme Skevington. Grade Five passed with Merit by Sophie Cuthbert, Phoebe Holmes-Simeon, Rayya Nawal, Bethan Rogers, and with Distinction by Esme Skevington. Grade 6 passed with Merit by Valentine Bourdaud-Bosser, Daisy Brett, Anthony Duncan, Natasha Dower, Katie Hutchings, Freya Morgan, Olivia Whitaker, and with Distinction by Chloe Duncan. Grade 8 passed with Merit by Katie Norman and Emily Rudolph, and with Distinction by Katy Roy. Intermediate Foundation pointe work examination passed with Distinction by Chloe Duncan.
Lyme School of Ballet would like to send huge congratulations to all the boys and girls who took examinations and have been so successful!
Photo by Ashley Roy.
– DECEMBER 2019 –
are you going to the marine?
Alongside Lyme Regis Pantomime Society, The Marine Players, B Sharp, Lyme Regis Musical Theatre and Saxminster, Lyme School of Ballet took part in the Community Play ‘Are You Going To The Marine’ which was created to celebrate the Marine Theatre’s 125th Anniversary!
‘Are You Going To The Marine’ is an original piece, written by the acclaimed screenwriter Andy Rattenbury, and has been a joy to work on for all in the Lyme School of Ballet Junior and Senior performance companies.
24 Lyme School of Ballet students took to the stage, performing ‘Waltz of The Snowflakes’ from The Nutcracker, along with a debut for our very own Clara and Nutcracker characters.
The Junior Company opened the show with a class-style rehearsal of an adapted version of the Christmas classic. The was later followed by the Senior Company who showcased the choreography as it would be taught at The Royal Ballet. The idea was that, as with the Marine Theatre growing and maturing, so too do the dancers in Lyme Regis – they begin young and progress and mature to become confident and beautiful dancers.
We are exceptionally proud of everyone’s work and commitment to this show. It is quite a challenge to take on a piece of classical repertoire, and especially for our senior dancers to emulate the classic piece exactly as it would be danced by professional companies. The girls made a fantastic effort and the result was received with overwhelming praise.
Photos by Ashley Roy.
– june 2019 –
THE LYME REGIS REVUE
16 students from across the years at Lyme School of Ballet performed in their very own one Act Divertissement on the Marine Theatre stage.
Our dancers performed two group pieces. The first, ‘Mistake Sugarplum’, is a comedy arrangement of the ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’ from The Nutcracker where L-plated ballerinas try their feet at becoming the Sugarplum Fairy until a surprise visitor enters. The second, ‘The Four Seasons’, is a revived version of Miss Freya’s original 2018 choreography to Galzunov’s ‘The Seasons’ and a firm favourite amongst Lyme School of Ballet pupils.
Esme Skevington also performed the ‘Princess Florine Variation’ from The Sleeping Beauty, wearing her very own hand-made and bluebird inspired tutu. This was Esme’s debut solo performance with us at Lyme School of Ballet, celebrating her passion for ballet with an entirely self-taught gem from the classical repertoire.
Katy Roy also performed a piece to ‘Never Enough’ from The Greatest Showman which was designed to showcase her newly acquired skills at Grade 8 and Advanced Foundation level. Katy amalgamated lyrical and classical work into the one piece and was accompanied by Miss Freya who sang by her side.
Lyme School of Ballet are hugely grateful to the Marine Theatre for enabling us to produce and perform our very first Divertissement. The girls thoroughly enjoyed the experience and danced with exquisite attention to detail. Well done girls!!!
Photos by Ashley Roy.
– 10th November 2018 –
A day at Rambert with Royal Ballet Stars for Miss Freya
Miss Freya has been to London’s Rambert Dance Studios to take part in a rather special course taught by Sander Blommaert (former Royal Ballet First Artist), Naomi Bottomer (former English National Ballet and Northern Ballet dancer) and Zenaida Yanowsky (former Royal Ballet Principal).
The day was comprised of a full ballet class, a yoga for dancers session which focussed on flexibility and relaxation, and then a full afternoon of repertoire with Zenaida Yanowsky, a particular idol of Miss Freya’s! Renowned choreographer, Christopher Wheeldon, actually created the role of the rather wicked and sly Queen of Heart’s (from his Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland for the Royal Ballet) for Zenaida herself.
The ballet class and yoga session were both extremely inspiring and Miss Freya was rather excited to take class again. The highlight had to be learning the Red Queen Variation and dancing with Zenaida herself.
The day was truly inspirational and Miss Freya is tremendously excited to bring back some pearls of wisdom from Royal Ballet stars to enhance your learning at Lyme School of Ballet. Who’d have known one of Sander’s pirouette enchaînements, scattered with double pirouettes, could be transformed into a dancing, whizzing bliss with a bit of intertwined allegro!! Watch this space for more explanations in class and perhaps parts of the Red Queen Variation for seniors at the school!
Top: Zenaida Yanowsky playing the Red Queen / Queen of Hearts for the Royal Ballet. Left: Miss Freya with Zenaida Yanowsky after class. Right: Miss Freya with Sander Blommaert after class. Bottom: The whole class at Rambert Dance Studios.
– October 2018 –
The results are in!!
Lyme School of Ballet would like to congratulate all students who have recently taken their RAD ballet examinations! Each and every one of you has achieved a fantastic result. We are so very proud to have you as our pupils and this article, published in the local newspaper is a great celebration of your success.
“PUPILS from Lyme School of Ballet have once again been extremely successful in their Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) Ballet Examinations.
The RAD examination results are as follows: Primary in Dance passed with Merit by Frida Foody, Hannah Slater and Ingrid Stuttaford, and with Distinction by Arabella Newton and Akshiya Kannan.
Grade One passed with Merit by Amy Fox, Millie Harp, Elodie Hide and Ellen Smith, and with Distinction by Lily Barton and Matilda Hurford.
Grade Two passed with Merit by Isla Bowie, Flynn Bowie, Emily Fox and Rosa Lynch.
Grade Three passed with Merit by Rhea Wootton and with Distinction by Louis Donovan and Esme Skevington.
Grade Five passed with Merit by Olivia Whitaker and Samidi Nanayakkara, and with Distinction by Chloe Duncan and Anthony Duncan.
Intermediate, including pointe work, passed with Pass by Anna Le Bas, Merit by Eliane Round and Katy Roy, and Distinction by Similcé Jacobson.
Lyme School of Ballet would like to send huge congratulations to all the boys and girls who took examinations and have been so successful, and would welcome more boys to join the school for their own opportunity to achieve fantastic results in classical ballet.”
Francesca Evans, Lyme Online
http://lyme-online.co.uk/community/exceptional-results-for-ballet-pupils/
Photo by Ashley Roy.
– 22nd July 2018 –
Lyme School of Ballet Celebration
On Sunday 22nd July, Lyme School of Ballet hosted an Afternoon Tea to celebrate the work and commitment and dedication of our founder, Mrs. Jill Chase, to all her students throughout the school’s history. This was also a chance to welcome Miss Freya Lovett as the new Principal of Lyme School of Ballet following Jill’s decision to retire. The afternoon was a wonderful success and it was fantastic to see so many students, past and present, attending to wish Mrs. Chase and Miss Freya all the very best. Local newspapers attended and reported on the occasion – see below for links and pictures.
Please all join us in thanking Mrs. Chase for her ongoing support and fantastic teaching. She really is an inspiration to us all.
http://lyme-online.co.uk/news/lyme-regis/jill-hangs-up-her-ballet-slippers/
http://www.eastdevon24.co.uk/news/uplyme-woman-takes-over-from-jill-chase-1-5615745
Photos by Ashley Roy.
– April 2018 –
Another Silver Swans® / Adult Ballet class joins the timetable!
We now have three Silver Swans® / Adult Ballet classes in our timetable! The original sessions generated lots of interest so we have decided to offer 3 different levels of class. We now offer a Beginners (Adult Ballet / Silver Swans® Two), Intermediate (Adult Ballet / Silver Swans® Three) and Advanced Level (Adult Ballet / Silver Swans® One) session. Please see our updated timetable for more information.
Everybody is welcome to come along to any of our classes for a free trial and to meet our wonderful dancers. Please do get in touch if you are interested! No prior ballet experience is required and we would love to share our love of ballet with you all – men included!!
Photo courtesy of the RAD.
– April 2018 –
Dance To Your Own Tune Introduced FOR PRE-SCHOOL DANCERS
Lyme School of Ballet is very excited to announce that on Monday 16th April, from 2:30-3:15, we will be holding our first Royal Academy of Dance ‘Dance To Your Own Tune’ ballet class!
This syllabus is designed for Pre-School children (boys and girls!) aged 2 1/2 to 5 years.
Hope to see you there for lots of imagination, fun and creativity!
Photos courtesy of the RAD.
– 14 March 2018 –
A massive thank you to all from Miss Freya!
Just a thank you message to all parents and guardians and students at Lyme School of Ballet……
I want to thank you all so much for your support and kindness during the last few years whilst Mrs Chase has been training me as a ballet teacher for our school.
It is such an honour to learn from the fantastic Jill and I am forever grateful for the opportunity that she has given me to teach at her school. Jill is the greatest ballet teacher and I know you will all agree and join me in thanking her for her dedication to us all! I will endeavour to do Jill proud and teach the students of Lyme Regis as long as I can!
It is with much excitement that I can announce that I have passed my teacher training exam and am now a fully Registered Teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance. I am very excited to enter my first group of students for an exam and cannot wait to continue teaching you all and watching you all grow for many, many years to come.
– 11 March 2018 –
Silver Swans® Introduced FOR ADULT DANCERS
LSB is very excited to announce that we can now offer Silver Swans® ballet classes for adult dancers of any age and dancing ability (male and female!!!). There are two classes in our weekly timetable for our Silver Swans.
Developed by the Royal Academy of Dance, the Silver Swans® programme is based on research into dance practice for adult and older learners and promotes ballet for overall health and wellbeing.
Classes can only be taught by Silver Swans® licensed teachers and Miss Freya, who is now licensed, has many new ideas for the school’s growing adult community!
For more information on the Silver Swans® programme, advocated by Angela Rippon CBE, follow this link: https://www.rad.org.uk/learn-to-dance/silver-swans-1 or have a read of the Silver Swans Fact sheet.
It’s never too late to shine!!
Photo courtesy of the RAD.
– February Half Term 2018 –
Lyme Regis Pantomime – The Four Seasons
Huge congratulations to all involved with the Lyme Regis Pantomime Society’s production of The Sleeping Beauty.
This year, our dancers depicted all four seasons passing whilst Aurora slept the years by. The piece was choreographed by Miss Freya and set to Glazunov’s ‘The Seasons’. The dance became known as ‘The Four Seasons’ by students and audiences alike.
The girls did a fabulous job, perfecting some very complicated patterns and rhythms. The girls even danced through the audience to get to the stage which created quite a stir! Well done all and here’s to the next Pantomime!
Photos by Ashley Roy.
– 19 October 2017 –
Halloween Extravaganza
Nearing the end of the first half of Lyme School of Ballet’s Autumn Term, our Grade 6 students took it upon themselves to organise a Halloween Extravaganza for their last class (the girls were just too excited to wait until their next lesson which would fall after the event on Tuesday the 31st October…!!).
For one night only, Grade 6 students transformed themselves into Minnie Mouse, with a matching black painted nose and ears, the Black Swan/Odile and the White Swan/Odette from the ballet classic, Swan Lake, Firebird from the identically named neoclassical ballet, The Firebird, and a rather scary devil, complete with sparkly horns and a tail. The effort that all these girls put in to their costumes (and their stage make-up) was fantastic and Miss Freya and Lyme School of Ballet are so proud of their commitment and enthusiasm.
The girls had a brilliant class and worked extremely hard. Perhaps costumes should be allowed a little more often to help with that elusive ‘performance’ quality we always ask for…
Photo by Miss Freya.
– 30 August 2017 –
More successful exam results for Lyme School of Ballet’s students
Pupils from Lyme School of Ballet, pictured here with their teachers Mrs Jill Chase (right) and Miss Freya Lovett (left), have once again been successful in the Royal Academy of Dance’s Spring and Summer Ballet Examinations. 8-year-old Esme Skevington (bottom left) also auditioned against stiff competition and has won a place as a Junior Associate with the Royal Ballet School.
The Royal Academy of Dance examination results are as follows: Primary in Dance, passed with Merit: Ellie Birchall, Matilda Hurford and Georgia McClaren. Grade One, passed with Merit: Drew Edwards and Alice Hensman. Grade Two, passed with Merit: Rhea Wootton. Grade Two, passed with Distinction: Esme Skevington. Grade Three, passed with Merit: Daisy Merrett, Lucie Sivier-Voller, Klara Smith and Cody Wootton. Grade Five, passed with Merit: Daisy Brett, Katie Hutchings, Freya Morgan, Bella Rose Jacobson and Katy Roy. Grade Five, passed with Distinction: Similcé Jacobson. Grade Seven, passed with Merit: Anna Le Bas, Katie Norman, Katy Roy and Emily Rudolph. Grade Seven, passed with Distinction: Ellen Crofton, Similcé Jacobson and Phoebe Rowe.
Huge congratulations to all the girls.
Photo by Ashley Roy.
– 12 August 2017 –
the Lyme Regis Carnival Procession
For the first time in Lyme School of Ballet’s history, students, teachers and parents joined the Lyme Regis Carnival Procession, showcasing their ballet talents whilst dancing to music along the high-street and promenade.
From our Primary students to our Advanced Vocational girls, Lyme School of Ballet did their town proud – and especially their teachers – and even came third in the ‘Groups and Societies’ category.
Well done girls and a massive thanks to all parents involved in helping it happen.
Photos by Tim Bell.
Lyme School of Ballet 