A HELENSBURGH dancer who has performed on cruise ships and on stages in Glasgow has decided to share her skills by opening up a dance and theatre school in her home town.

Gemma Penfold, 36, started dancing at the age of two and a half as a way to straighten out her hips. But she quickly fell in love with all forms of dancing, and following a successful career she is now looking to pass on her knowledge to all the area’s rising dance stars.

Gemma trained at Ian McLeod Theatre School in Helensburgh, where she was taught ballet, tap, jazz and drama, never missing a class until she was 17 .

She also danced at the Julieann School of Dancing from the age of 11 where she learned ballroom, Latin American and disco.

When she was 16 she started performing at the Kings Theatre in Glasgow with the Apollo Players and her love of the stage grew.

Gemma recalled that at one point she was dancing every day after school and both days at the weekend.

When it came time to choosing a college or university Gemma decided all she wanted was to continue performing so auditioned and was accepted into the Lillian McNeil School of Dance in Glasgow to further her training.

Gemma landed her dream job performing on a cruise ship in 2004 with Carnival Cruise Lines and made her way to Las Vegas for rehearsals.

Gemma said: “I worked with some incredible choreographers, most notably Minnie Madden, who had been in the entertainment industry in Las Vegas, for years.

“It was with her help that I found my forte as a showgirl! I enjoyed 11 years with Carnival and never stopped working on my technique or performance skills.”

Having been part of the industry for a number of years Gemma explained that her aim with her school, LCI Dance Center, which stands for ‘Love Create Inspire’, was to build a creative, fun environment where kids could feel safe and know that they belonged to something positive.

Gemma said: “I want to inspire them to have confidence in anything they choose to do in life and make them feel like they can take on the world!

“My classes will not only focus on dance but on self belief, confidence and expression. I will run all classes by myself for the time being and will be inviting some incredible guest teachers in for special classes over the next year.”

“Classes are for Mums and Babies all the way up to 17 years of age. We will perform our first show next summer.”

Gemma is excited to share her passion for dance and is looking forward to getting the school up and running and meeting all the children.

She is running six classes, two of them on Fridays - Baby Boogie, for mums and babies, and Little Gems, aimed at those aged 18 months to age 3.

The four Saturday classes are Rising Stars (ages 3-5), focussing on ballet, tap and jazz; Shooting Stars (ages 5-8), which will focus on ballet, tap and street; and Starlets (ages 8-11) and Show Stoppers (11 and above), which will both focus on musical theatre.

Friday classes will run in the Parish Church Hall and Saturday classes will be held in the Brownie Hall.

Classes start on September 22 and anyone interested in taking part in any of the classes or finding out moreshould contact Gemma via her Facebook page (LCI Dance Center), call 07716 301202 or email lcidancecenter@gmail.com to avoid disappointment.