Spot Miss Holly on the cover of this month’s Cardiff Life magazine! 👀 You may be able to spot her, but do you know much about her? With International Women’s Day just behind us, it felt like the perfect moment to share a little more about the “why” behind everything Miss Holly does.

From Wales to the Dance World

‘When I moved to London from Wales at 19 to train as a dancer, I realised just how many opportunities existed there that I hadn’t always had growing up. It planted a seed that one day I wanted to bring more of that joy and access to dance back home.

What I didn’t realise at the time was how much more than dance it would become. It might look like tutus and twirling on the surface, but behind the scenes there’s a lot of plate-spinning, problem solving and constantly thinking about how to make sure every little one who walks into class feels welcome and valued.

Spot Miss Holly on the cover of this month’s Cardiff Life magazine!

Creating a Space Where Everyone Belongs

A huge part of that for me is making sure dance is a space where everyone belongs. That means challenging old ideas about who ballet is for, encouraging boys to dance, advocating consistently about representation and making sure our classes reflect the communities we serve.

It’s also why creating spaces for little ones with ALN has become such an important part of our journey. Watching little ones and their families who may have struggled to find activities where they feel comfortable come into a non-judgmental class, relax, bond and build confidence is something that will always mean the world to me.

More Than Just Ballet

Because for me it’s never just been about ballet.

It’s about creating classes where little ones can express themselves, belong and feel proud of who they are.

Watching our little dancers (and their grown ups!) build friendships, find their confidence and fall in love with movement is the part that makes all the busy behind-the-scenes moments completely worth it.

Diolch to fawr to all the families who are part of this community. Happy International Women’s Day. ✨