Because you asked for this! LOL!

Donna Schoenherr - Founder of www.ballet4life.com® and of charity Move into Wellbeing®

 

Happy March 2021 all! The days are getting longer and Spring is not far off! Here we are nearly one year since the whole COVID-19 Pandemic hit our lives in London and also changed the world. This selfie below, I took the last day of our in-person classes on 19 March, 2020. I will never forget that day. 

 

This past year, many of you have asked me to share more details about my life and my career. I am not someone who likes to blow one’s own horn, so I thought best to share a long version of my biography created for me but with my own satirical quips interspersed, and then just be open to conversations. I finally found and edited the long version of my CV/Biography. If you fancy a read (and maybe a giggle or two) please sit back with a cuppa or a glass of vino and enjoy. None of the names or facts have been changed and the crazy journey I retell is true. Feel free to ask me about any of the chapters, and if I can remember, I will do my best to elaborate or clarify.

With good thoughts and best wishes,

Donna

 

 

19 March, 2020

Donna Schoenherr is from Rochester, NY and is one of five children. She had a very happy childhood and managed to survive being taunted by three brothers, two of whom are older! All this teasing and challenge helped to build a resilient and tenacious character! 

Her mother was a talented Mathematician, a Teacher, and Computer Programmer. Her father was a Chemical Engineer, Executive at Eastman Kodak Company, and an award- winning International Photographer and Lecturer. She adored school and was a keen student (yes, all true- in fact she cried when the school bus collected her brothers and neighbours and she was not yet old enough to go to school!), and she grew up doing all sorts of activities and sports even winning metals in Athletics events. 

The family was brought up to respect Nature and many holidays were spent on camping adventures. Donna to this day is a devout lover of Nature and feels very pleased and grounded when out in and enjoying Nature.

Donna also loved and excelled in Maths, English, Creative Writing, Acting, and Choreography. She wrote, directed, and choreographed many shows for her schools. At one point she had thought about also trying to train to be an Olympian, but then fell totally in love with Dance after her mother enrolled her in weekly Ballet classes. Little to be known then that this would change the course of her life!

Donna leaping during a Kodak photo shoot.

 

 

Donna with her brothers, little sister yet to arrive.

 

Formative Dance Training

Her formative dance training was received on full scholarship at the prestigious Botsford School in Rochester, New York founded by dance visionary Enid Knapp Botsford, who had trained and danced with Anna Pavlova. (Please visit https://www.facebook.com/The-Enid-BotsfordLegacy-940786495957359/?ref=hl) The comprehensive ten-year programme she completed included training and mentoring from an internationally renowned staff including Patricia Wilde, Jurgen Schneider, Sir Anton Dolin, George Zoritch, Kathleen Crofton, David Gayle, Miguel Lopez, Woytek Lowski, Lorenzo Monreal, The Andaházy’s, and Fernando Bujones amongst many other dance luminaries. 

 

She trained six-days-per- week intensively in Classical Ballet Technique, Pointe Work, Variations and Repertoire, Character Dance, Horton Technique, Graham Technique, Drama, Dalcroze Eurythmics, Mensendieck Therapy, Ballet mime, Performance Technique, Folk Dance, Partnering and advanced Ballroom Dance with the esteemed Claire Leonard. There were also guests from the Martha Graham Company (Enid has been a colleague of Martha's), American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, Joyce Trisler Company, and the Bottom of the Bucket Dance Company directed by Garth Fagan, and others.  The school was a satellite school for American Ballet Theatre under the direction first of Lucia Chase and then later Michael

Baryshnikov.

 

  

Donna as a young dancer modelling for Eastman Kodak Co.

 

Exterior shot of the purpose built Botsford Dance School in Rochester, NY. One of only two purpose-built Dance Schools in the US at the time.

 

Interior shot showing the large light filled unconventional and modern Dance Studio

 

Famous dancer and dance artist Leon Danielian, then Director of the School of American Ballet Theatre, with Enid Botsford- Orcutt and her beloved husband Brent G. Orcutt.

 

Press from when Sir Anton Dolin taught the students and set his "Pas de Quatre" on the dancers. Donna was cast as Carlotta Grisi. 

 

Brent and Enid with Boston Ballet Founder and then Director E. Virginia Williams 

Her school also had a partnership with The Boston Ballet under the direction of E. Virginia Williams. There were performances for the students with these companies, with guest artists from these companies, and coaching with guests from these companies all throughout Donna's training. The Botsford School also gave performances at their own studio theatre, three to four times per year. The students also performed at local schools, institutions, and organisations on a regular basis.  These formative years provided her with excellence on all levels and exposure to brilliance and she is forever grateful to Enid Knapp and her husband Brent G Orcutt for their generosity and for their vision.

Donna’s extensive dance training continued in New York City with scholarships to the Melissa Hayden Dance Studio and the David Howard Studio where she had the privilege to study and be mentored under the excellent tutelage of David Howard, Marjorie Mussman, Wilhelm Burman, Bobby Blankshine, Diana Cartier, and Melissa Hayden.

She had first danced professionally as a child with the Festival Ballet of New York, under the direction of famed British teacher and Dance artist Miss Kathleen Crofton and a few years later with the Boston Ballet under the direction of E. Virginia Williams. She has her first contract, copies of her shoe allowance, posters, and programmes in a tattered old scrapbook that she holds dear. 

 

She was a very ferocious mouse and Miss Crofton praised her tenacity and force!

 

“Nutcracker” with the Festival Ballet of NY.

In "Giselle" as a young dancer with partner Kennet Oberly, then of the Stuttgart Ballet, in a Botsford Annual Performance directed by David Gayle, MBE.

 

Later on

She later joined the Cleveland Ballet at the peak of its success, under the direction of Denis Nahat and Ian "Ernie" Horvath, and performed a diverse repertoire which included beautiful works by George Balanchine, Ian Horvath, Dennis Nahat, Louis Falco, and Agnes De Mille. Many of her colleagues from that era are still close friends and collaborators, and have been guest teachers for Ballet4life, and she has been invited to work with them on their projects. 

From a Cleveland Ballet's annual Brochure, Horvath's piece "Laura's Women" shot by Avedon 

Company photo shoot

Playing around in the Cleveland Ballet studio

 

Freelance Professional Experience

Donna went on to dance with many independent choreographers such as Diane Coburn Brüning of www.chamberdance.org. Diane cast her as Hester Prynne in her first professional ballet “The Scarlet Letter.” Donna also was a frequent guest artist with the Glimmerglass Opera under the direction of Paul Kellogg. With the Glimmerglass Opera, she was a featured dancer in "The Bartered Bride, " "Eugene Onegin," "The Mighty Casey," and "Pirates of Penzance" with direction and choreography by Virginia Thatcher, Jack Eddleman, Stephanie Hall, and Rhoda Levine amongst others.

 

 

Diane Coburn- Brüning's "The Scarlet Letter"

Glimmerglass Opera's Production of William Schuman's Opera "The Mighty Casey" 

 Dancing and working around the globe

In Germany, Donna danced with the Giessen Ballet in the State Theatre's Operettas and in Ballet evenings created by the Director W. Anthony and guest Choreographers. She also took company class in Mainz, Germany at the State Theatre's Ballet Company Class during breaks.

In NYC, Donna worked extensively with, and danced in the company of Milton Myers. Milton is an Internationally acclaimed Teacher and Choreographer who among other accolades, directs the Contemporary Dance Programme at Jacob's Pillow Dance.

She also danced for years with and worked for Robin Staff who is the Executive Director of 25-year-old www.dancenownyc.org In Robin's Colloquium Contemporary Dance Exchange, she danced pieces choreographed by Neta Pulvermacher, Cliff Keuter, Monica George, Regina Larkin, and Marjorie Mussman. Robin commissioned a work to be made on Donna by Milton Myers titled "no pain,no gain."

Myer's "no pain, no gain" for CCDE

Donna was also a lead Dancer with the Michael Mao Dance Company www.michaelmaodance.org. The internationally renowned choreographer Michael Mao created many pieces on her including “Cancion” with a beautiful original score by the Mexican composer Javier Alvarez. Here she also made lifelong friendships with her director and colleagues. They continue to be a part of her life and share their development and experiences in the roles they have taken on in the International Dance World. A moving work Michael made when Donna was in the company, “Verdi’s Requiem”, had a beautiful revival on the Kosovo Ballet in 2013. After suffering from a debilitating and severe injury to her right knee, she later became the Rehearsal Director for this company and worked there until taking up a position as Rehearsal Director of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. At MMD, she was a key part of the development of the English as a Second Language Dance Programme for the NYC Public School System and she was an integral part of two dance works that were made in collaboration with sight-impaired dance artists. These works toured the US and were ground-breaking in their approach to the integration of sight-impaired dancers with sighted dancers.

 

Michael Mao’s “Andante Amoroso”

 

Mao's "Andante Amoroso" 

 Mao's "Cancion"

Mao's Ballet "Murder in Buenos Aires"

Her colleague and friend Timothy Veach from MMD made and premiered his first work "Catch me when I fall" in NYC before relocating to Columbus  to found Columbus Dance Theater. 

Donna, second from left, in Veach's piece "Catch me when I fall."

Keeping up with individual artistic development, different skills sets, and learning experiences and jobs

Marjorie Mussman also remained a mentor to her during the many years that Donna was able to return to take classes in NYC. Marjorie generously provided contacts for employment, a new awareness in dance training, and along with composer Jonathan Hancock, the honing of a high degree of the marriage of music with the movement. Marjorie set her beautiful solo that was created for Cherylyn Lavagnino on Donna and she performed it in NYC for the Colloquium Contemporary Dance Exchange which evolved eventually into Dance Now NYC.

With Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, she taught company class, toured, and rehearsed the outstanding dancers in a repertoire which included stellar pieces by Twyla Tharp, Lou Conte, Daniel Ezralow, Margo Sappington, and many other notable and international choreographers. It was a joy for her to learn the repertoire and to maintain the integrity, authenticity, and high level of professionalism that was demanded.

She has also toured internationally as a dancer, performing in Paris, Oslo, and throughout Mexico with the Cervantino Arts Festival, and throughout the US. Her dancing can be seen in the American television network Public Broadcasting System’s film “Martin” directed by the esteemed “Life Magazine” photographer Gordon Parks with choreography by Rael Lamb, assisted by Leni Wylliams. 

Her modelling work can be seen in many dancewear catalogues, in Kodak advertisement campaigns, and in private collections of many artists.

She also had wide-ranging training in the Alexander Technique, Pilates® with teachers trained by the Pilates Elders and with the fantastic injury preventative and well-crafted Zena Rommett Floor Barre Technique®. These rich foundations for healthy movement remain an important part of her daily approach to dance and fitness.

Donna went on to garner much success with her teaching talents and Directors’ Assistant and Rehearsal Director roles over the last thirty years in both America and Europe. In America she taught for the Enid Knapp Botsford School, David Howard Dance Centre, Minnesota Ballet and School, Michael Mao Dance Company, the Lou Conte Dance Studio and Hubbard Street Dance Company, Columbus Dance Theatre, and the Dansummer program in Colorado. In Europe she has been a guest teacher for the following among others: Geneva Ballet, Tanz Werk Nürnberg, Ballet Freiburg, Basel Tanztheater, the Bruckner Conservatory in Linz, Berlin's “Dance in August,” Cologne Dance Agency, Germany, Modern Dance Turkey, The Linz Ballet, Austria Dance Workplace in Copenhagen, Tanz * Hotel, Vienna, Tiroler Landesballett, Inssbruck,  and Amanda Miller's Pretty Ugly Dance Company.  http://amandakmiller.com/prettyugly.html.

She was a Guest teacher in residence via a programme with the American Embassy in Ankara, Turkey for a season at Beyhan Murphy's Modern Dance Turkey at the  Ankara State Opera and Ballet Theatre.  

Donna taught for Amanda Miller's Pretty Ugly Dance Company first in Innsbruck, Austria at the Tirol State Theatre and was later invited to guest teach the company at their wonderful headquarters in Freiburg, Germany in the breath-taking new premises. She enjoyed many a class and new piece premieres with this eclectic and talented dance troupe and remains friends with many of those talented artists to this day.

Landing in London with her husband 

In London, she taught at Millennium Performing Arts, a leading Performing Arts College, for two and a half years, at the Gielgud Foundation (Re-Animators) and for The Dance Movement. She has also worked as a Guest Director of Rehearsals and Assistant-to-the-Director for other companies in the US and Europe. She guest taught for Robert Hylton's Urban Classicism and Trinity Laban Institute in London, and for Columbus Dance Theatre. Donna also qualified to teach the Zena Rommett Floor-Barre Technique® in NYC.

She founded Ballet4Life (Ballet4life.com®) in January 2004 and this was one of the first organisations to provide adult learners in London with comprehensive programmes of high-quality ballet and dance classes and courses. This has gone from strength to strength and is now well established and thriving organisation. She has a full teaching group of freelance industry professionals and also has the opportunity to offer workshops and dance intensives all geared toward the adult learners. Her ideas help to spawn a whole generation of schools, dance companies, and organisations to offer vocational dance tuition to adults. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ballet4life images from the last 17 years

 

 

 

Guests and Master Classes

She had the joy to have Bennie Bartels and Melinda Glenister teach a Tango & Feldenkrais Workshop series, and had Dante Puleio of the Limón Dance Company teach two Master Classes to her clients in May 2013. That Summer she devised and offered a two-week Summer Dance Intensive with classes in Pilates®, Ballet, Contemporary, Zumba®, Lyrical Jazz, Pointe, and Private Tuition. 

Donna arranged for Marius Andaházy to offer a Master Class in November 2015 as well. Tara -Brigette Bhavnani of the Royal Ballet gave a Master Class and David Gayle, MBE gave a special Fundraising Talk and Q & A.

Bennie leading their workshop

Dante leading his dynamic Masterclass

 

 

 

Donna with Marius, Marius leading the Masterclass class

 

 

 

 

 

Tara leading the Masterclass

 

 

Donna with David Gayle

 

 

 

 

 

Innovation and Risk Taking

Her 50+ Ballet Programme #silverswans #goldenswans was a huge hit since its launch over twelve years ago and has been replicated by many dance institutes; even by some that had been sceptical about creating classes for the older persons. The 50+ Dancers performed June 2016 in a ballet created on them by Donna called “Signatures.” This group and new groups of over - fifty-year-old dancers have continued to perform every year and the weekly classes are still going strong and they continue to dance and learn weekly online.

Introduction of other Dance Techniques and Self-Care Skills/programmers has always been a priority to her. In the last seventeen years Donna has produced classes, workshops, masterclasses in Pilates®, Zumba Gold®, Yoga, Ballroom and Latin Dance, Choreography, Repertory, Improvisation, Feldenkreis, Tango, Laban Technique, Zena Rommett Floor-Barre® plus Dynamic Dance Days and week long Summer Dance intensives

 

 Choreography

Her choreography has been commissioned by / shown at the Smithy Gallery NY, Minnesota Ballet under the direction of Allen Fields, www.allenfieldsclassicalballet.com. Dansummer Colorado, Jean Cocteau Repertory Theatre NYC, Dance Now NYC, and Theater aus der Zeche, Germany, The Southern Theater, Minneapolis, The Arts Educational School and Columbus Dance Theatre, http://www.columbusdancetheatre.com/.

She also created the concept for, produced, and choreographed all of the content and the movement in her quirky and impressive dance film “doubletake” directed by Suzanne Gielgud. This was shortlisted and premiered at the Marbella International Film Festival in October 2010, http://www.gielgud.com/index_films.html. 

She is keen to re-visit this project and to finish the next sections. A part of it was re-staged to be performed at a fundraising event for her charity Move into Wellbeing®.

Photoshoot for "doubletake"

Still from the short film "doubletake "

 Promo at the Festival

 

 On the "red carpet" with her husband

 

 Before the Award Gala

 

The first piece commissioned by Minnesota Ballet “force unseen” used an original score by German composer Steffan Schmidt and toured throughout the US. Donna's second piece for Minnesota Ballet premiered in February 2007 to original music she commissioned from London-based composer K Derry. 

 

 In rehearsal at Minnesota Ballet

 

The evening of the première at Minnesota Ballet with Directors and friends Allen Fields and Robert Gardener

 

In July 2003 she co-created the dance work “landing/takeoff” in London with Penelope Freeh, http://penelopefreeh.com/ which received its premiere in September 2005 and was performed again years later in Minneapolis. 

 

 

Promo and photo shoots for “landing/takeoff”

 

 

She was commissioned by to create a new work for the company  www.columbusdancetheatre.com

Columbus Dance Theatre, “the always within never” with a score by composer Dirk Raulf and it premièred in May 2010 as part of their Women's Works Program.

View excerpts here:

https://youtu.be/KLX9s7Dz73E

https://youtu.be/G8eW4bNV_48

 

 

Her last large -scale creative collaboration /co-production “Helioscope” created with established

American choreographer and dance artist Penelope Freeh had its premiere on 1 April 2016 at The Illusion Theatre at www.cowlescenter.org  in Minneapolis. This innovative new piece has commissioned music scores by British composer Hugh Simpson and others, an opera singer, eight extra dancers, original film work, and is inspired by the work of an early British photographer. It was developed at www.camargofoundation.org in November 2015 and was part of  The Right Here Showcase  http://righthereshowcase.weebly.com/2016-artists--works.html

 

 

 

“Helioscope” performances and post- performance with Michael and Penny.

Media

Donna is no stranger to media and she has, in fact, had to turn down some offers to be a presenter or a dance spokesperson. She was delighted to participate in an episode about fitness on the well-known London television talk show "Richard and Judy." Her classes have been filmed for two Japanese television shows, Ballet4Life was featured in a British media company’s fitness series, and she and Ballet4Life were consulted for the pitch for Channel 4's programme "Big Ballet." She has been a repeat guest on two London Arts radio shows, "Plasticine Candles and Soup" with Joasia Tapson and "Radio Gorgeous" with Donna Freed, and was part of a feature in

"London Dance" about vocational ballet. Bridget Osborne founder of  "The Chiswick Calendar" www.thechiswickcalendar.co.uk and editor of "Out & About Magazine" has interviewed Donna for a numerous features. In August 2020 she was a guest on "The Chiswick Buzz" and her interview was shared with thousands of local viewers. Most recently "The Chiswick Magazine" published a feature about her and Move into Wellbeing®.

Other lovely features Donna was delighted to be part of:

Stance on Dance

http://stanceondance.com/2018/05/21/dancing-throughout-life-with-ballet-4-life/

The Career Changers

https://thecareerchangers.com/from-dancer-to-dance-teacher/

The Motherhood

https://themother-hood.com/do-ballet-4-life-adult-ballet-classes/

MOTHERSISTER- sadly the feature is no longer available

Hounslow Herald

https://hounslowherald.com/local-dance-organisation-launches-innovative-online-dance-programme-p11296-313.htm

 Donna being interviewed by Chiswick Buzz 

Awards and Accolades

One Dance UK (aka Dance UK,) People Dancing (aka Foundation for Community Dance), Council for International Dance, Dance for PD®, and Dance for Parkinson's UK Network are some of the dance organisations with which she holds or has held memberships. Ballet4Life was a Finalist in the One Dance UK People’s Choice Awards 2019 and was Short Listed for this again in 2020. Ballet4Life was recently a Finalist in the West London Business Awards 2021 in the category Best Health and Wellness Business of the Year.

 

One Dance UK Awards November 2019

Aside from Dance- wait, there is more to life than Dance?

She has been a happy Chiswick, London resident with her husband for nearly 25 years and their son just started Uni ( just in time to move back home during C-19!). Whilst currently directing Ballet4Life and Move into Wellbeing®, she is also a lifelong avid painter and photographer. Her photographs, paintings, collages, and creations are in private collections around the globe. In December 2018 her work was exhibited in London in an all-female exhibition titled "Le jeu de Dames." curated by artist Agnes Poitevin-Navarre. She looks forward to sharing many more of her creations with everyone and hopes to organise a fundraising exhibit for MiW once C-19 has calmed down!

 

One of her photographs

 

 

 

 

 

 A few of her paintings

 

She was engaged with a variety of other creative and exciting projects and creative events that included planning and creating the programme for the annual fundraising Dance Showcase on which showcased the teachers and clients of both Ballet4life and Move into Wellbeing®. This was the fourth year in which these diverse performances were offered to the public which raises awareness of the power of dance for the local community and beyond. The showcases raised funds for the charity Move into Wellbeing®.

Fundraising Dance Showcase at Bell Studios 2018

 Fundraising Dance Showcase at Watermans Theatre July 2019

A deep passion and calling

Donna founded Move into Wellbeing® in 2015 in Chiswick, West London. She and

Lead Teacher Beatrice Ghezzi planned, tested and created the Move into Wellbeing Dance and Movement Programme for people with Parkinson's and other mobility challenges in 2014. This was launched in Chiswick, West London in January 2015. It was inspired by Donna’s father’s three-decades of living with Parkinson's and is a living tribute to him and a supportive programme that offers relief for people living with Parkinson’s and with other mobility issues. This concept was also partly inspired by the system at Mark Morris Dance Company, that is Dance for PD®, led by David Leventhal. 

Move into Wellbeing® won the Atul Pathak Community Award and received it at the ceremony in the House of Commons! MiW's in-person, online, and archived classes are taught by lead teacher Beatrice Ghezzi and Chris Christodoulou, with assistance from Ioanna Bili. This brings joy to hundreds of people! 

Here is a short promo video created by Ioanna: 

https://youtu.be/5M3rBhoSMik

 and the website:

https://www.moveintowellbeing.org.uk/

 

An early days class in Chiswick

Move into Wellbeing members performing with Beatrice and Chris

Receiving the Atul Pathak Community Award with Trustee George Foster and lead MiW teacher Beatrice Ghezzi

More MiW History

The London Borough of Hounslow sponsored additional dance classes from March - June 2016 and Ballet4life was able to offer an additional Move into Wellbeing® class. Ballet4life also sponsored another wonderful teacher, Clarissa Rocha, to study with David at the programme in July 2015 Leicester, England with People Dancing. Move into Wellbeing became a charitable organisation on 23 April 2016 and had a stall at the Bedford Park Festival in Chiswick, West London in 2016 -2019. One large fundraising event was held on 23 September at the Andrew Lloyd Webber Theatre at the Arts Educational School, Chiswick, West London and the next were held in 2017, 2018, and 2019 in Chiswick and in Brentford at Watermans Theatre.  Move into Wellbeing attained Registered Charity status- Number 1172264.

Other B4l History and Collaborations

Ballet4life has also collaborated with the charity Arts4Dementia www.arts4dementia.org.uk. Donna was commissioned to create and deliver a dance course for people with early stage Dementia. In the Autumn of 2015, she and her colleague Clarissa Rocha created and delivered a highly successful and engaging eight-week dance programme for that culminated in an informal showing of the group's progress and creative output. This effective adn unique dance programme will hopefully start again at Ballet4Life in the near future.

Donna and Clarissa teaching the special class 

Donna Schoenherr and Ballet4Life classes are featured on the sixth day of the Get Active video series from TedMedia. https://artv.vhx.tv/get-active/season:1/videos/getactive-day-6-ballet-1. Patricia Ferreira-Lopez meets up with Donna Schoenherr of Ballet4Life.com in London, England, UK. It’s Patricia’s sixth day and her sixth sport in her “Get Active” challenge. Please note that the Ballet4life logo changed shortly after this filming and the new logo was created by esteemed dance artist and personal friend, Charlotte Fawley. www.charlottefawleyart.com. She then gave the logo a refresh in 2016 and local graphic artist Jane Davies created the present version of the logo.

 

Artist Charlotte Fawley

Apollo

In January 2018 Donna started choreographing a new ballet to the epic Igor

Stravinsky’s “Apollon musagète” The Nonesuch Orchestra was played this live with the Ballet as part of the Bedford Park Festival and an independent performance that fund raised for local charities. Donna developed the movement on three of Ballet4Life's main teachers Beatrice, Chris, and Alina and one vocational dancer and cover teacher, Sonia. They also worked in four local primary schools giving workshops and some of the school children performed together with Ballet4life and The Nonesuch Orchestra in June 2018. Here is a short clip about it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCToFBI03MA&t=6s

 

 

Rehearsals and Performances at St. Michael and All Angels Church and St. Peter's Church, W4 and the beautiful poster created by Jane Davies from an original drawing by Charlotte Fawley

Present day

In January 2021 Donna celebrated the seventeenth anniversary of Ballet4life and reflected on the inspiring, challenging, and rewarding time this has been and is forward thinking about more dance, creative, interacting, inclusive, and wellness plans for the future. She brought her diverse dance programmes online at the start of the COVID-19 lockdown and these successful programmes are carrying on for the foreseeable future.

She has felt so happy to have met, been mentored by, mentored,  and worked with and learned from so many wonderful people, on all levels, over the decades. Her gratitude knows no bounds, and she simply adores, in her 50's, still making her way with grit and determination in daily classes!

 

There is always more to come and she seems to be a few beats ahead of the pack, so best to watch this space!