Ms Baldock's #teachereffect at St Mary's

We like to celebrate our teaching and support teams who help make St Mary’s School, Cambridge such an inspiring place for girls to learn and flourish. We call it the #teachereffect. 

We continue our series with Ms Baldock, our Dance Coordinator, who teaches dance at our Junior and Senior School, and looks after our dance scholars.

Our specialist dance co-ordinator Sasha oversees dance classes in a variety of styles, including modern, ballet and pilates. New dance classes are often introduced, as a result of student requests. Our popular biennial Dance showcase includes performances from Junior School and Senior School, ensemble and individual performances, highlighting some of our talented dance scholars.

Scholarships are available in Drama and dance. The holders of these awards play a key role in promoting opportunities for girls across the school to be involved in the performing arts.

When did you start at St Mary’s?

I started at St Mary’s in January 2020.

What did you do before you joined?

Before joining St Mary’s, I taught dance at various schools in and around Cambridge.

Were you always interested in teaching dance? What fuelled that interest and why that subject and area?

I was definitely always interested in teaching and thought about it at school. While still at school my ballet teacher offered me the opportunity to assist her with younger classes and from that point on, I began assisting more teachers with their classes and in different styles. This continued throughout my full-time dance training at Bodywork Company.

What have been your highlights of working at St Mary’s?

Definitely meeting and teaching so many students with different levels of experience in dance; the staff have been extremely welcoming and helpful in answering all my questions but also super supportive with any changes that I would like to make. Although, I definitely think my highlight is still to come with the organising and planning my first Dance Showcase at St. Mary’s.

Why do you enjoy teaching? 

I enjoy giving students the opportunity to be and witnessing students having that ‘light-bulb’ moment of realisation.

In your opinion what are the benefits of teaching dance in an all-girls environment?

A major benefit to teaching dance in an all-girls environment is that pupils are definitely less self-conscious and more outgoing and willing to experiment with different dance styles. When sharing and performing in class the pupils create a really encouraging and supportive environment.

What do you like to do in your free time when you are not teaching?

In my free time I enjoy going to the theatre (when we are able to do so!) and spending time being active and outdoors.

What advice do you have for all the students you have taught – past and present – to help them on their journey in life!

Always believe in yourself and your capabilities!

Find out more about Dance at St Mary's School, Cambridge.