A decade of dancing and community at Abby's Academy
An anniversary show at Whitley Bay Playhouse will mark 10 years of the North Tyneside dance school - and celebrate the spirit and people it its heart
A North Tyneside dance school is marking its 10th anniversary with a large-scale show later this month - one that doubles as a celebration of its students and a thank you to the community that supported its founder through a particularly difficult year.
Established by Abby Gladwin in 2015, Abby’s Academy runs classes in North Shields and Cullercoats, with close to 300 students ranging from toddlers to adults.
On March 29, the majority of them will take to the stage at Whitley Bay Playhouse for an anniversary performance themed Stars from the Stage and Screen.
“It will be a celebration of everything we’ve built over the last decade and the amazing students who make it what it is,” Abby says.
The school was established soon after she completed her degree, alongside early teaching qualifications that she had been working towards during her studies.
“I had just graduated with a degree in English Literature from Newcastle University and had been completing my initial dance teaching qualifications alongside my university studies,” she says.
While the academy offers exams and structured training across ballet, tap and modern stage, Abby says its foundations were always about something broader.
“My aim was to create a safe and supportive environment where children feel comfortable, encouraged and confident to be themselves,” she says.
“Of course, we provide quality dance training and offer exams, which the children love - especially receiving their trophies and seeing their progress recognised. But what I feel really makes the academy special is the sense of community and friendship.”
Most students arrive with no previous experience, and classes are designed to accommodate a wide range of abilities while keeping a shared sense of purpose - particularly when it comes to performance.
“For those who want to pursue dance as a career, the training is there to support them,” says Abby. “But equally, for children who simply love performing, we aim to create wonderful memories and give them the confidence that comes from stepping onto the stage.
“At our shows there’s a big emphasis on teamwork,” she continues. “They watch each other during rehearsals, cheer one another on and build a real sense of camaraderie.”
This year’s anniversary show - rescheduled from last summer - carries added significance.
In 2025, Abby spent several months in hospital during her pregnancy after her waters broke at just 15 weeks. Her daughter Beth was born at 30 weeks and required time in special care.
“Last year was a very challenging time for my family,” says Abby, who also has daughters Ellie and Lottie and son George with her husband, Ross.
“Beth arrived two months prematurely, and I had spent several months in hospital before her birth and then time in special care with her afterwards. Thankfully she is now doing well and is safely home with us.”
Despite being away from the studio before and after Beth’s arrival, Abby remained closely involved with the academy, continuing to plan and organise where she could.
“While I was in hospital, I still tried to keep things going at the academy - organising exams, finishing plans for the anniversary show and even asking midwives to help with costume decisions!”
Day-to-day running fell to her teaching team, who took on additional responsibilities to keep classes and preparations moving forward.
“I often describe the academy as a family, and that was never more evident than during that time,” Abby says. “From the moment I sent the first email at 15 weeks to say my waters had broken, right through to finally coming home, the love and support my husband and I received was overwhelming.”
“A special mention has to go to Emily, who was an absolute rock and helped keep the academy running.”
Returning to the studio after months away brought that sense of community into sharp focus.
“But a few weeks later, when I came back to the academy for the first time and saw everyone again, that was incredibly emotional,” she says. “On the drive home I rang Ross and said, ‘It felt like coming home all over again.’”
For Abby, those experiences have only reinforced what she wants the academy to offer its students - not just technical progress, but confidence and connection.
“The goal isn’t to produce perfection, it’s to create experiences, moments where children feel like stars, and a generation of confident young people who believe in themselves,” she says.
“Some of the children joined us when they were tiny and are now teenagers, and seeing their confidence develop both on and off the stage is amazing.”
Abby says the anniversary show will reflect both the academy’s scale and its ethos - a collective effort shaped as much by those behind the scenes as those on stage.
With Beth now home and already accompanying her mum to classes alongside her sisters, it also marks a return to normality after an extraordinary year — and the continuation of something Abby has been building, step by step, for the past ten.
Abby’s Academy celebrates its 10th anniversary show, Stars of the Stage and Screen at Whitley Bay Playhouse on March 29. Visit the website for tickets. For more information on the Academy, visit abbysacademy.co.uk