About McCaw

Live, love, dance.

A Rossendale Valley dance school since the early 1980s, where hundreds of children have grown in confidence and ability.

Members of the McCaw team smiling together on a pink-lit stage

A line of ballet students at the barre with arms raised in the studio

Our history

McCaw School of Dance has been part of the Rossendale Valley since the early 1980s, teaching children of all ages to dance well and with confidence.

Over the years, hundreds of students have grown up in our studio, learning technique, taking examinations with the Royal Academy of Dance and the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance, and performing on stage. Many of today's teachers began here as pupils, and that sense of family is still at the heart of the school.

Principal & Owner

Charlotte Ormerod

BA Hons, RADTC, DDE Modern, LISTD Tap

Charlotte joined McCaw as a four-year-old, began teaching here in 2005 and has led the school since 2010.

Charlotte has been part of McCaw since she was four. She trained for three years at Stella Mann College of Dance in London and a further two at Preston's Dance Academy, qualifying with a Diploma in Performing Arts and a Teaching Diploma.

She holds the Royal Academy of Dance Teaching Certificate (with Distinction), the ISTD Diploma in Dance Education in Modern and the Licentiate in Tap, and a BA Hons in Professional Practice in Dance from Middlesex University.

Before returning to teach in the Valley in 2005, Charlotte worked as a professional dancer and singer. She became Principal and Owner in 2010, and is a NODA award-winning choreographer who has choreographed many shows for local theatre companies.

Professional credits

Sesame Street Live, Germany tour
Dance Captain, singer and dancer, P&O Pride of Bilbao
Singer and dancer, Celebrity Cruises Summit and Zenith
Jiving Through the Fifties, NEC Arena
Casino de la Vallée, Italy
Choreographer and performer, Just Imagine UK

The team

Teacher

Michelle Young

BA Hons, PGCE, RAD Registered Teacher

A former McCaw pupil, Michelle trained at The Hammond School and Webber Douglas Academy before acting on television.

Michelle started at McCaw at eighteen months old before winning a place at The Hammond School as a full-time vocational student. A love of drama took her to Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London, where she gained a BA Hons in Performance Studies.

She went on to act professionally on television, including Doctors, Blackpool and Ghost Squad, before discovering a love of teaching. Michelle is a qualified primary school teacher, teaches RAD Ballet at Whittaker's in Blackpool, is qualified in Acro Arts and holds Registered Teacher Status with the RAD.

She is delighted to be back in the McCaw family.

Holiday Workshop Leader

Anya Grzebieniowski

Trained at McCaw from age seven, Anya went on to Bird College Conservatoire and leads our holiday workshops.

Anya trained at McCaw from the age of seven, achieving Distinctions in Advanced 2 Tap and Intermediate Modern, and a Merit in Intermediate Ballet, with Charlotte as her teacher.

At eighteen she was accepted into Bird College Conservatoire of Dance and Musical Theatre. She has led many McCaw summer schools and now joins the teaching staff as a holiday workshop leader. Anya holds an enhanced DBS check, a first aid qualification and Safeguarding Levels 1 and 2.

Come and see the studio for yourself.

Get in touch to ask about classes or arrange a visit.

Get in touch