The Bertram School of Dance has now closed due to retirement at the end of the summer term 2024.
I have been teaching dance for many years but it’s now my time to retire. Ballet has been part of my life since I was 7 when I started dancing at Molly Caulder’s Bertram School of Dance, Black Lion Street, Brighton.
I have loved teaching my wonderful pupils over the years and will miss teaching them enormously.
HISTORY
The Bertram School of Dance was established in 1946. It all started when the Founder Molly Caulder began taking classes for other teachers when she was only fourteen. By the time she was sixteen she had opened her own school. This was in September 1946. She distributed leaflets to advertise classes at 1s. 6d. The venue was St. Wilfreds Hall in Whippingham Road .
Molly waited to see if anyone would turn up. Fortunately for all her future pupils, five did. The following week ten arrived and the next seventeen. Molly had a few problems choosing a name but eventually decided to call it after her father, and so the Bertram School of Dance was born.
The school was not so lucky with its home and Molly had to regularly move her troupe around. Then in September 1949 a permanent base was found when Molly took over the Joan Davey studio, Black Lion Street, Brighton. Having her own studio was fantastic and it was there that I first started dancing at the age of seven.
Molly kept the Studio until December 1986 when it came up for re-development. Brighton Council refused to re-house the School in another studio of its own so Molly had to find another base. Unfortunately she could not afford to buy a purpose built studio so Hanover Community Centre became the schools new home, although later I also used other venues including Park Hill Evangelical Church Hall and St Martins Church Hall Brighton and even later The Whiteway Centre in Rottingdean.
The School taught mainly Cecchetti Ballet and some IDTA Ballet. Cecchetti is the method that I was also taught as a child. I am a member and a registered teacher of the Cecchetti Society. The Cecchetti Society comes under the umbrella of the Imperial Society for Teachers of Dance. I was also a member of the International Dance Teachers Association.
Over the years the school has taught hundreds of pupils, many whose parents and even grandparents have at one time danced at the school.
It came to a time when Molly felt that she had to start easing off a little so I taught some of the classes for her. When she retired in the mid 90’s I took over the School, becoming Principle.
Molly also ran The Cecchetti Regional Area Competition held each March. She organized this every year since it began in 1983. We always entered pupils for examinations and competitions although we put no pressure on pupils to do these.
Unfortunately, Molly passed away on 5th August 2002. She was greatly missed by pupils and teachers in the dance world. Molly was always a very important part of my life, first as a teacher and later as a friend and colleague and I always missed her friendship and sound advice.
The School put on many Shows throughout Brighton over the years. The first was in St. Martins School in July 1947. The Dome had even been hired at times although the cost prohibited this in more recent years. Other theatres the school held shows at are the Sally Bennis Theatre, The Little Theatre in Bevendean, The Rally Hall, Denmark Villas and Park Hill Evangelical Church Hall.
The emphasis of the Bertram School of Dance was always the enjoyment of dance.
Former Principal: WENDY TUCKNOTT I.S.T.D – I.D.T.A