Welcome

The ‘Elaine Pygall School of Dancing’ is an Associate School of The Royal Opera House having been based in Prudhoe for 20 years and now with branches in Hexham and Ponteland. We provide classes for every child or adult to grow their confidence, self expression, social development and dance skills. Our inclusive approach ensures that everyone feels valued and supported. From toddlers taking their first steps, to our senior dancers taking professional qualifications, to our adult classes for fun and fitness, we are committed to fostering a sense of belonging that truly makes us a dance family. We encourage everyone to follow their dreams and for some, those dreams have been realised in local theatre productions, dancing professionally with national companies and some have trained with Elaine to become qualified teachers. Over the years many of our students have grown up with us and so we see ourselves very much as an EPSOD family.

Every one of our students has the opportunity to take part in our fully costumed theatre productions which are held bi-annually at local theatres; a fantastic way to build confidence. All our costumes are provided by the school as we regularly fundraise. We regularly take part in local community events and we offer plenty of social events for our dancers to make friends. In 2019 and 2023 we took groups aged 8 to adults to dance at Disneyland Paris in their own staged show and to dance down main street. We plan to go back in 2026! We also take part in external events such as conventions and galas across the country for those children who want the extra challenge.

We are part of the International Dance Teachers Association and all our teaching staff hold qualifications with the board. We are a certified Acrobatic Arts Studio offering Alixa Flexibility and Progressing Ballet Technique programmes as well as Pilates classes. Our staff strive to get the best from our students & do so in a friendly, approachable manner. Dance exams are taken with the IDTA & can be taken from 4 years up to a professional level. Graded exams are recognised by Ofqual & have a credit value on University applications. We pride ourselves on the quality tuition we deliver which is evident in our consistently high exam results.