About TSD
Hi, my name is Tina Buhagiar and I am the proud owner of TSD. I would love to have the chance to tell you about our wonderful dance school. Lets start with a little bit about how it all began.....
I started dancing at the age of eight and have not looked back since. Through my childhood and teenage years nearly every evening and weekend was taken up by dancing. I became completely hooked and it did not take long for me to decide I wanted to teach. I competed all over the country and abroad. I loved performing, however, it was always in the back of mind that one day I would love to have my own school.
To cut a long story short I worked very hard and with a lot of support from my family, my school was opened in 1995. As well as teaching dance I am also qualified as a children's health and fitness coach and nutritional therapist.
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From small beginnings of just 1 hour a week the school continued to grow and we have had fantastic exam and medal results right from the start with the UKDDF (United Kingdom Dance and Drama Federation) We have taken part in many community events and performances. Including our own annual show which is normally in February every year.
When the school first opened I taught at several local community halls and schools. At this time I also ran after school clubs and taught dance and children's fitness classes at gym's schools and nurseries.However I always wanted TSD to have our own studio, somewhere that the dancers could really call their own space. So in 2004 I opened my first dance studio in Stopsley in Luton and we then moved to a larger studio on Old Bedford Rd in 2006 which had better facilities for the pupils and parents. We relocated in June 2015 to our fabulous current premises where as well as our studio we have a waiting room, stretch/relaxation room, office and costume storage space for some of our 1000's of costumes.
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It was always my aim to have a dance school where the love of dance is established in everyone whether it is just for fun or as a possible career. I believe that this has now been achieved, we have had students study dance in further education, university and vocational colleges. Some of our past students now have professional performing/teaching careers. We have also had many students progress into further education and careers with skills they have developed through attending the dance school. Attending dance classes can teach you confidence, endurance, perseverance, team work, communication skills, resilience, adaptability, accountability, personal responsibility, creativity, flexibility, attention to detail and an understanding of your body's ability and limitations........ the list is endless. and I am very proud of the students and the high standards they achieve and also in their confidence and awareness of themselves and others.
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I am now the Director of the UKDDF CIC and work as a senior examiner which gives me the perfect opportunity to see how other schools are developing using the syllabus and support offered by the UKDDF.
Meet the rest of the Team:
In May 2010 Diane Bell joined the team, as a class leader for some of the pre-school classes. Diane now teaches our adult classes including ballet, tap and stretch classes. Diane attended dance classes when she was a child/teenager then after attending the adult classes at TSD for some time she decided to take her love of dance further and passed her teaching qualification. Diane's two daughters have attended the school since they were little and now her eldest is studying dance at University.
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In 2019 Lorna Lalji joined our team as our amazing singing teacher. Lorna is an incredible music teacher and vocal coach. She is a qualified teacher and currently teaches music and sing at a local school. The dancers in Lorna's singing class have improved so much and have gained an incredible amount of confidence.
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In 2018 Shannay Davies took over the role of our Saturday administrator. Shannay has been at the school since she was 4 years old and continues to take classes while helping with admin duties on a Saturday and as a class assistant too.
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We also have students helping during the younger classes, this is a great experience for them, currently Hayley Bell, Shannay Davies, Freya Lalji and Katie Tearle assist on a regular basis.
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All the teachers and class leaders have enhanced DBS checks, insurance and first aid and safe guarding certificates.
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We hope all new visitors to the site find the infomation they require, please get in touch to enquire about class times and fees.