Stacey Caister, owner of the Splitz Dance Academy of Rye, is a ball of energy and enthusiasm. If you plugged her in to the National Grid, Rye would have cheap electricity forever. She loves dance and it runs through her veins. She began dancing when she was two, and at the age of nineteen began her own dance school. She is driven by passion and her love of teaching and of passing on skills to youngsters who want to dance. All styles captured her imagination, but she confessed that tap was probably her favourite.
Stacey is passionate about “her baby” Splitz Dance Academy (SDA), about her staff and her pupils and it shows when you watch her at work. Often there will be thirty children in the studio at a time but her eyes are everywhere. There is a calm, professional atmosphere and all the children respond to it beautifully.
She trained with Pointes Dance School in Rye, where her teacher, Michelle Paine, was her inspiration and guiding force. She worked with the Hastings Pantomime group and, aged just fourteen, she became dance captain at the White Rock. She strove hard to gain all her dance teaching qualifications, and aged nineteen was ready to begin what was the most exciting journey when she created her dance school. One of her most cherished achievements is that her young pupils now come back to the school as teachers. She says: “It is like one big extended family, and I love it.”
There is a variety of classes each week: tap, modern, acro, ballet and, one of the most popular, musical theatre.
The pandemic has, of course, had a marked effect on all our lives and the dance school just ploughed on through it, offering classes on Zoom so children didn’t miss out. Classes in the park followed when groups were allowed to meet outside and then back to the studio.
Many of her students go onto dance colleges like Italia Conti and Urdang Academy.
At the moment, the children are preparing for exams and the annual show in July. This will be the first one for three years so there is much anticipation and excitement.
SDA is going from strength to strength and is always looking out for qualified dance teachers of all styles so if you are interested do contact Stacey at
stacey@splitzdanceacademy.co.uk or by phone on 07812 452 153.
FB and Instagram pages splitzdancerye.
Image Credits: Kt bruce .