Professional singer, dancer and actress Shelley Otway was delighted to ‘step out’ of the spotlight and focus on the stars of tomorrow when she launched her theatre school.
Having danced professionally for 15 years, she retrained as a fitness instructor/personal trainer but both careers were equally gruelling on her body – so she decided to combine both her loves of performing and teaching and Steppin’ Out Stars of Tomorrow was born.
“I knew everything about the performing arts and wanted to tap into my creative side, so I took all aspects of what I had learnt and channelled it into a new business.”
The school grew from humble beginnings. Shelley said: “Despite spending a fortune on advertising, we launched with just 15 students.” But through hard work, determination and a lot of networking, they now have 300+ members.
Suitable for children aged three to 17, the school helps develop and encourage a love of performing arts, build confidence, build friendships and improve social skills.
With the support of an amazing team of talented teachers and a highly experienced principal, they have weekly classes in Wokingham and Woodley in jazz, tap, singing, musical theatre, singing, commercial, and street dance and they stage an annual show in a professional theatre.
In just 18 months of the opening, her students had performed at Disneyland Paris, Formula 1, The Olympic Stadium, Wembley Stadium and London’s West End. And several children have appeared in West End shows, television programmes and adverts.
And while Shelley thrives on this aspect of her business, for her it is about more than simply commercial success for her students. “For some, they come for the social side of the school with like-minded people. They may not have had these opportunities at their school, or it helps build confidence.”
Shelley lives in Shinfield with her fiancé Rob and her daughter 10-year-old Aiyana who also attends classes. She is still very passionate about her work and loves the area in which they are based. “The area around Shinfield and Wokingham has been great for me personally and for business. It has been a good place to network, and I am really happy with the way the business is developing.”
Her motto is ‘Smile because when you smile you sparkle and when you sparkle you’re successful’ – and judging by her success, Shelley must have been smiling and sparkling quite a lot!
For more information, call 07970 034488, visit www.steppinoutstars.co.uk or email [email protected]
