Dance for your life

Auteur

Sue Hewgill Peterson

Sue Hewgill PetersonRAD RTS Life Memberwww.suehewgillpeterson.comSue's connection with dance began at age 3 when she attended her first ballet classes in her hometown of Hartlepool, UK. When she was 10, she gained a place at the prestigious Elmhurst Ballet School, in Camberley, Surrey (now in Birmingham, England and associated with The Birmingham Royal Ballet ) and progressed as a student to train at the Royal Ballet School in London. Sue has had many exciting roles in the world of dance. From establishing her own dance studio and dancewear shop, which continue to run today, to working as the Head of Dance at Queen Margaret's Independent Boarding School in York. During this time she also taught for The Royal Ballet School's Associate Program. Everywhere she has gone her love of dance has been infectious, empowering hundreds of new dancers, many of whom have gone into the profession. She has performed in and choreographed many musicals and ballets and staged countless amateur and professional dance productions including pieces set to music composed especially for her. She has run and taught many prestigious Summer Schools including Yorkshire Youth Dance Theatre also for schools in Spain, Isle of Mann and Sarasota Ballet. She is proud to be a Life Member of The Royal Academy of Dance. Between 2004 and 2010 she lived and worked in North Carolina USA actively and passionately sharing her expertise as the Executive Director of Carolina Performing Arts Centre. In that post, she introduced the Royal Academy of Dance Graded and Vocational Examination System to Eastern North Carolina. After 2015 she returned to the USA, this time to Florida. Here she was a volunteer with The Sarasota Ballet Company and from 2018 was fully employed as Head of the Children's Program for The Sarasota Ballet School where she continued until September 2020. On returning to the UK, Sue developed very successful Silver Swans(c) classes for older learners as well as children's ballet classes in Sudbury Suffolk.Sue has a keen interest in volunteering. Roles include rehearsing shows with the Carolina Ballet Company in Raleigh NC to stewarding at the BBC Antiques Roadshow at The Royal Ballet School's Junior School, White Lodge Richmond Park, Surrey. Sue's philanthropic work extends to her role as Founder and President of the 'We Can Dance" Charity which raises money to enable children with Special Needs in the North of England to attend weekly dance classes and holiday workshops (www.wecandance.co.uk ). A percentage of the profits of her book, Dance for your Life, about the transferable life skills learned through involvement in dance, goes to supporting the work of this charity.She is a volunteer at Thomas Gainsborough's House Art Museum while in Sudbury and loves to travel. Sue shares her wealth of dance knowledge through her talk "Dance Keeps Me on My Toes" and her virtual Zoom course "Let's Pointe to Safety!" and in studio Silver Swans(c) classes for older learners. She also makes a mean pumpkin pie.