Vanessa began dancing at the age of six. Throughout her childhood training, she realised her passion for dance was ballet. She attended various prestigious ballet schools and dance courses and passed many R.A.D. and I.S.T.D. ballet exams at a high level. Her first opportunity to perform with a professional company was with Janet Smith & Dancers, a contemporary dance company. She went on to successfully audition and danced the role of Harlequin in the pantomime Cinderella at the Alexandra Theatre, Bognor Regis, with Khoro’s Productions.

 

In 1989, she was accepted into the Ballet South Company and performed with members of the Royal Ballet Company. While dancing with Ballet South, she also attended a four-week training program at the Vaganova Choreographic School in St Petersburg, Russia — home of the Kirov Ballet. Vanessa successfully gained places in various residential schools but was, unfortunately, unable to secure financial assistance to attend. Through sheer determination, she continued her training at local schools while attending college and completing an Art & Design course. Her first professional position was as a soloist with Balletta, touring Italy for six months. She then joined a cast of performers in Japan called Quicksilver and spent time learning about and enjoying the culture.

 

In 1993, she returned to the UK to dance with the Tiller Girls for a summer season in Scotland, working alongside comedians Aiden J. Harvey and Alan Stuart. Venice was her next destination in 1994, where she boarded the Ocean Wave Costa Classica for a Mediterranean cruise, performing a different show every night. As a performer, she also appeared at the Moulin Rouge in Formidable as a Can-Can dancer in Paris.

 

While working at the Moulin Rouge, she had the honour of being asked to perform for Frank Sinatra’s 80th birthday celebrations. This event was held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, in front of 6,300 of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. Over the next few years, Vanessa continued to work with many dance companies worldwide. These included Biberin in Tokyo, Japan; Cybermagic in Genting Highlands, Malaysia; and Mystique in Queensland, Australia.

 

After deciding to settle in London, she performed her final professional shows as dance captain with Car & Company in Slovenia. Still maintaining her fitness training, she began to pursue a career in Art & Design, taking a position with a sporting media magazine as a photo resourcer before being promoted to sub-editor of World of Golf. After two years, Vanessa took a career break to have her daughter. In 2002, she returned to her hometown of Portchester and began working with a local school, teaching N.A.T.D. ballet. It was here she discovered her new passion — teaching and working with children.

 

From then on, it was full steam ahead. Vanessa was running a household, working with various magazines, and teaching ballet. She threw herself back into training, this time as a dance teacher.

 

After gaining her teaching qualifications with I.S.T.D., she was invited to work at Glenhurst School in Havant, teaching various dance forms. In 2004, Vanessa founded Rochelle Ballet School — a place for those passionate about ballet. Here, she could finally bring together her experience as both a performer and a teacher to unlock hidden talents and allow pupils to experience the thrill of ballet.

 

Rochelle Ballet School & Performing Arts has gone from strength to strength over the years. Vanessa has remained committed to developing classes for all her students and has grown the school into a thriving performing arts centre offering classes in a wide range of genres for all ages and abilities. She continues to grow as a teacher and remains dedicated to developing the school for everyone who shares a love of dance, performance, and fitness.