Welcome!

I fell in love with dance and performance at an early age. I was 9 years old when my school organised a theatre trip to London to watch Starlight Express. I bought the cassette and programme and learnt every word from beginner to end. But it wasn't until the age of around 13 that I joined my first professional dance class at the Hilton Hall Dance Academy. 

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Between 2000-2002 I went off to college and obtained a Btec National Diploma in Dance and started teaching school age children in after school clubs. I landed my first paid work as a professional performer in Malaga, Spain in 2003, then went onto work on cruise ships and other areas of Spain performing in shows and running family entertainment programmes. In 2005 I returned to the UK and became a Redcoat at Butlins Minehead, then onto Butlins Skegness. 

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In 2007 I met my now husband and I was living back in the South East of England. I discovered this new fitness class called Zumba. And the rest is history!

 

We moved to Orkney in 2017 and I started teaching classes such as Floorbarre, Zumba, Zumba Kids and Clubbercise as well as many others. Then the dreaded March 2020 came along and into lockdown we went.

I used this time to diversify and up-skill and created a business entirely online and now we are back dancing in classes again, I have mixed the two ideas together and now live stream in person classes and have created a whole on demand library of classes and workouts for people to do whenever they like.

In March 2022, Orkney Dance & Fitness Ltd was registered and we became a Social Enterprise.

 

People and community are at the heart of everything I do. We are so much more than a local fitness class. We are inclusive and welcoming and I believe in giving back to my local community and breaking down any barriers to dance and fitness people may have. 

 

Join me in a class, whether online or in person and see how much you can have whilst getting fit!

Donna

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Qualifications, certifications, CPD's and awards include:

BTEC National Diploma in Dance

IDTA Graduate Teacher in Modern Jazz

IDTA Diploma in Anatomy and Physiology

NVQ Level 2 in Customer Services

Shallow Water Exercise Certification

Neuroplasticity in Parkinson's Level 2

NSPCC Certificate in child protection in Sport & Physical Activity

Active IQ Level 2 in Fitness Instructing (Exercise to Music)

Active IQ Level 2 in Understanding nutrition, performance and healthy eating

Active IQ Level 3 in Designing Exercise programmes for Older Adults

Active IQ Level 3 in Supporting pre and post natal clients with exercise and nutrition

Chair based exercise for frailer older adults

OTAGO strength and balance exercise programme leader award

ICG Indoor cycling group certificate

Zumba Basic steps level 1 certification

Zumba Basic steps level 2 certification

Zumba Kids certification

Zumba Gold certification

Aqua Zumba certification

Zumba Step certification

Zumba Toning certification

Clubbercise Instructor certification

Clubbercise Kids Combo (Family Clubbercise, U13's and U18's)

Boogie Bounce Certified Instructor

Boogie Bands Certified Instructor

Boogie Bounce Kidz Certified Instructor

Scottish Ballet Elevate Freelance Dance Artist

Dance for Parkinsons Freelance Dance Artist

2 x motions in Scottish parliament 

Winner of Community Fitness Instructor of the year for Scotland 2020