FOLLOWING in the footsteps of some of the country’s most famous faces, a teenager from Dursley will be taking part in a ten-date tour of England with a dance company from one of the country’s most prestigious performing arts schools.
A student at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts,19-year-old Zoe Turner is a member of its Encore Dance Company which will be showcasing a varied dance programme featuring both modern and more traditional genres.
Dancing from the age of three with the Sally Prout School of Dance, Zoe joined the school, which has been the place of learning for people including director and choreographer Drew McOnie who won the 2016 Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer and Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley, in 2014.
Her mum, Jeanette, said that Zoe had always had a passion for dancing which started when she attended her first lesson on her third birthday.
"Zoe has always had a passion for dance but especially enjoys tap, jazz and commercial,” She said. ”She is also a keen actor and has attained distinctions in both GCSE and A level drama.”
Zoe has also performed with the English Youth Ballet and most recently with the National Youth Ballet of Great Britain.
Under the direction of Antony Dowson, who is a former principal at the Royal Ballet and has danced with Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph Nureyev, the 17-strong cast of the Encore Dance Company will be performing a range of diverse dance works.
Talking about the tour that previews at the Markova Theatre at Tring Park School on April 14, Antony said: "The Tring Park dance students are exceptionally hard-working, talented dancers and have been preparing for this tour for six months.
"The Encore Dance Company is in its fifth year, and gives Tring Park students their first experience of what life is like in a touring dance company before they go on to pursue their career in dance.
"The pieces that the students will be performing showcase their extraordinary and varied talents as dancers, and are a great opportunity for audiences to see the future stars of the dance world."
The Encore Dance Company tour will visit Gravesend, Exeter, Ipswich, Lincoln, Leeds, Preston, Birmingham, Cardiff, Bracknell and London Sadler's Wells.
To book tickets for any of the shows visit encoredc.com
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