unday, August 28, 1988 — Lynn Valley Echo

LYNN VALLEY School of Dancing instructor Doreen Grant,
foreground, leads ballet students in a first arabesque. Grant has
been teaching dancing for a total of 44 years, and most of them
have been spent in the Lynn Valley school.

Dance school is
still on its toes

LYNN VALLEY’S only dancing school has trained thou-
sands of students and has no intention of slowing down

now.

“T plan on teaching as long as
i'm capable of doing it well,’” said
Lynn Valley School of Dancing
owner Doreen Grant. “re m happy
doing what I'm doing.”’

Grant joined the staff of the
school in 1963, took over full
directorship from the late Derothy
Hunter in 1976, and at that time
changed the school name from the
Lynn Valley Dancing and Drama
Group to the-Lynn Valley School
of Dancing.

Grant says that Hunter, who
founded the original school in
1947, is remembered by former
students as being ‘‘a real perfec-
tionist.’’ Translated into dancing

* terms, that meant hard work,
tears, e1idless practice — and even-
tual wiumph.

Grant has continued Hunter’s
tradition. of producing success

_ Stories.

A number of former students
have gone on to dance profes-
sionally. Grant mentions one, Gail
Mathieson, who is now dancing in
Japan, having performed in Ger-
many, Cyprus, Israel,

» Spain and the United States.
_ Another, Debbie Swanson, has
opened -her own dance company
back east.

Grant says that some of the
present pupils are the children, and
even the grandchildren, of former

Indonesia, .

+ By PEGGY WHITTAKER
+ . Echo Reporter” ’

students.

The old building that houses the
school was built before 1910. Orig-
inally a Methodist chapel, it was
located on the playing . fields in
Lynn Valley Park, near Institute
Road.

Later it became the gymnasium
for Lynn Valley Elementary
School, but when a new gym was
built the dance schoo! decided to
take the original building over.

However, there was a catch. The
building had to be dismantled and
moved to its present location at

* 3355 Mountain Highway.

. Volunteers banded together and
performed the task. ‘‘It was really
a dedicated effort on the part of a
lot of Lynn Valley people,”
remembers Grant.

Grant offers a full slate of dance .

classes —- ballet, jazz, tap and
modern theatre — for local resi-
dents aged 3% to adult.
Newly-hired teacher Marlowe
Windsor, who has just returned
from performing in Japan, will be
teaching the tap and jazz classes.
Grant herself received all ner
dance and drama training in
England, where she performed for
several years before marrying and
coming to Canada. Her : four
children were all born and raised in
North Vancouver, and Grant and
her husband still reside in Upper

Lynn Valley.

photo Neil Lucente

HIT THE DECK,
WE CAN TAKEIT.

VAD.
- SOLID COLOR:OR

, SEMI TRANSPARENT |

» OL STAIN

“pressure treated wood °
* Semi-transparent formula |"
* highlights the natural
I.

@ MADE Witt LINSEED OIL TO'..:
PROTECT i beauty of wood

. PENETRATE AND
‘WOOD BEAUTIFULLY

HOURS:
Mon-Wed. -'. 7am-6pm
Thurs-Fri “Tam-Spm -
Sat ©. = //). 9am-6pm’,

Sun 2 10am-5pm
Holidays’ ; 10am-5pm

|WOODSTOP

BUILDING SUPPLIES |

1335 DRAYCOT?T ROAD, NORTH VANCOUVER 986- 5281