A ballet shop in Wisbech has become a dance mecca for customers from across the globe with visitors from as far away as France and orders from a theme park in Dubai.
Owners of Just Ballet have transformed a former boxing club on Nene Quay into a ballet paradise with a bespoke dance studio upstairs.
Having been in the town 18 months, the hard work of owner Sheila Beelam is paying off, who has moved to bigger premises to fit her growing stock of dance wear, music and gifts including tailor made tutus and point shoes.
In addition she has been busy refurbishing the first floor to turn it into a bespoke studio with professional dance floor and mirrors.
“It’s going to be wonderful to dance in,” Sheila said.
“I’m busy at the moment stitching sequins on to 65 outfits for Global Village in Dubai, a theme park there.
“I’m also doing tutus for an international competition called Genee where students with high grades perform.
“Ballet is quite a small world so people get to hear of my work through word of mouth and it is just growing for us here.
“We have people travelling from all over the country to look at outfits, people think nothing of travelling to Wisbech from Wales, Scotland or London for example.
“I have always danced and my mum was a designer so I was brought up in a house with all this creativity so it became natural to sew tutus for me.”
Self taught seamstress Sheila lives and breathes the dance world and while on holiday recently in Sri Lanka even came back with some beautiful fabric there that she knew she could put to good use for the outfits she lovingly hand crafts.
“We moved to the area 18 months ago from Essex and it has gone from strength to strength,” she said.
• The dance studio is officially opening on September 9 and is being rented to dance and fitness teacher Olivia Hipkin. Miss Olivia trained in ballet and other dance styles from the age of three, completing Royal Academy of Dance Ballet examinations pre-primary through to advanced one. She completed her teacher training at the Royal Academy of Dance in London and graduated two years ago from their BA (Hons) Ballet Education programme.
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