- ABOUT ME -

I started my dancing career in Manchester as a very reluctant 3-year old, taken on a Saturday to the local dancing school for my ballet class, I am told I was dragged through the door by my mother or father and for the first few weeks screamed the place down . My poor teacher.!!

 

We moved to Bournemouth and I started at yet another local dancing school in a very small village hall where I was taught R.A.D. ballet and I.D.M.A. Modern Theatre which ,at that time, was called Musical Comedy (often more comedy than musical ). By this time I was very enthusiastic and lived for my dancing, dreaming of being another Margot Fonteyn……….

 

Later I was a full time student at the Wessex School of Dancing, which was one of the best full time colleges in the southern area with I.S.T.D. examiners teaching us. In the curriculum we learned R.A.D. Ballet, I.S.T.D. Ballet, Modern Theatre, Tap, Greek , National and Historical Dance and Ballroom and Latin American.   After 3 years of sweat and tears I qualified and started auditions. This was certainly an eye opener! My first audition was for Pontin’s Holiday Camp as a “dancer/Bluecoat” with the audition being held in the choreographer’s kitchen (not one of her best ideas!) Needless to say I got the job but turned it down—I was heading for the “big lights”  in London and the real world was about to hit me!

 

My first audition in London was for the Tiller Girls and this was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Accepting the job started an amazing life of hard work, friendship, fun, tears, and experiencing life to the full. The Tillers was one huge family, the older ones looked after the new girls and everyone looked out for each other. For the next six years I toured the length and breadth of England, dancing in summer shows, pantomimes and Christmas and spring shows with cabarets in-between.

 

For the last two years, I was Head Girl and had to organise the troupe; this I loved, being quite a bossy person ! In the final year with the Tiller Girls Troupe we did “The Sunday Night at the London Palladium” with Jim Dale. We were also invited to dance as guest artists on “The Generation Game” with Bruce Forsythe and danced at quite a few cabarets in London such as The Dorchester Hotel and The Grosvenor House Hotel. 

 

Following my time with the Tiller Girls I performed at the Victoria Palace Theatre, London with Mike Yarwood, toured the London and northern clubs and then danced abroad in different troupes, going to Belgium, Holland , Italy and Syria.  Following this I danced on the cruise ship Angelina Lauro round the Caribbean for 8 months; next I worked  in Spain  in the theatres in Madrid, Benidorm  and Barcelona, before touring Spain for 6-8 months, which was cut short due to our coach crashing!

 

In-between these contracts I would work at home with promotional work and teaching at the local dancing school in Manchester.

 

 

 

 

THE TILLER GIRLS

Home

Page

Click

Here

CAN  YOU SPOT JENNIE !!!

me