Oldham dance studio celebrates being crowned 'the best'

Carnaby School of Dance on Bow Street has been run by expert dance teacher, Laura Carnaby, for the past 14 years.

Laura has a plethora of accreditations under her belt, having moved out of her hometown, Wigan, to London's Royal Academy of Dance where she graduated in 2009 with a BA (Hons) in Ballet Education, Licentiate of the Academy and a Distinction in all her teaching exams before going on to complete a PGCT.

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Laura (left) is a professional dance teacher with a plethora of accreditations (Image: Carnaby School of Dance)

Now, she's the proud owner of her own studio which teaches ballet, tap and jazz for youngsters and adults.

Carnaby School of Dance also teaches A-level dance, BTEC dance and musical theatre and the Level 3 dance teaching assistant award.

Laura has personally taught a lot of trainee ballet teachers for the Royal Academy of Dance, alongside being an examiner for BBO.

However, she said the dance studio in Oldham happened "entirely by accident".

The 36-year-old said: "I'd always wanted to freelance and was working in Oldham at a small dance school.

"The owner was looking to step away from dance entirely and recommended I continue the classes.

"Before I knew it, we as a school were teaching hundreds of students from 18 months to 18+ years, seven days per week." 

The studio teaches children as well as adults (Image: Carnaby School of Dance)

The Principal said she always wanted to be a ballet teacher from a young age but never wanted to run her own studio.

However, after "falling into it" nearly 15 years ago, she said: "I love my job and how rewarding it is."

She added: "It is hard work with unsociable hours, but seeing the happiness is so fulfilling.

"The school has grown exponentially over the last fourteen years.

Inside the studio (Image: Carnaby School of Dance)

"From operating out of a small Church Hall that we hired, to purchasing our own commercial premises on the back of the pandemic in April 2021, we've grown from strength to strength, winning numerous awards and gaining a great reputation in Oldham and the surrounding areas."

Her students take part in annual shows at Middleton Arena and progress through the ranks through the school's dance examinations - which has a 100 per cent pass rate.

Youngsters are also offered the change to work towards achieving their BBO Level 3 dance teaching assistant award from the age of 14, which Laura says has been a "fantastic discussion point when in University and vocational dance school auditions".

The school's students often perform on stage (Image: Carnaby School of Dance)

She said many of her pupils leave for higher education at 18 with a litany of graded and vocational dance examinations under their belts, plus skills for life that they have gained through dance.

Now, the school is celebrating being named the 'best dance studio in Oldham'.

Distinguished Teaching scored 47 Greater Manchester dance schools across a variety of criteria, utilising artificial intelligence to measure performance and see how dance schools stack up against industry benchmarks.

Reacting to the award, Laura said: "We're absolutely delighted.

"It's all via AI so there's no way to circumvent the process, making it super authentic and furthermore, predominantly based on online reviews.

"This award has been generated by our clients and customers, so it couldn't mean more to us.

Carnaby School of Dance is proud of what it has achieved and has even bigger plans for the future (Image: Carnaby School of Dance)

"It's the people that truly know our Dance School and we can't wait to see what's next for CSD."

The school has also won other awards, including being a NetMums' favourite, Dance School of the Year 2022-2023 and winning 'three best rated' in Oldham for dance schools for the past six years in a row.

Though clearly successful, Laura said the school's proudest achievement is its "caring and nurturing atmosphere".

She added: "We're regularly told how much of a family feel, coupled with an inclusive environment, that can be felt from stepping foot inside our studio.

"Our students make friends for life at CSD. 

"We'd love to expand upwards, adding on an additional studio and becoming a central hub for dance and the creative arts in Oldham.

"Oldham needs a space where children and adults alike can be creative, and our studio, alongside our dance school, offers just that!"

Got a story? Email me Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk