CJ’s Dance and Fitness

Tucked away in a corner of Pencester Gardens is a phenomenally successful Dover dance school – CJ’s Dance and Fitness.

Last night was CJ’s 15th annual show at The Leas Cliff Hall in Folkestone.

The show starred about 300 (yes, that’s three hundred!) young Dovorians, and was attended by nearly nine hundred parents, grandparents, family and friends.

The dance school and the show just continues to go from strength to strength, it has become a real melting pot of local dance talent. A couple of this year’s senior leavers are going on to study dance at university and professional dance schools, and one young man left the school last year to study at the Royal Ballet!!

CJ’s has all the traditional dance classes (ballet, jazz, tap, modern, lyrical, etc.), but also has classes in the Street Dance style recently made famous by “Diversity” (2 age groups – juniors & seniors), BodyJam, and even Cheer Leading (3 age groups – juniors, peewees, and seniors). They also have classes for adults too.

Dance is great for kids, great for fitness, great for discipline but also great fun, and great friendships are formed for life.

Checkout CJ’s website, it might be just the thing for your children/grandchildren (they start from about 2 years old!).

Finally, a quote from Carol Jenkins (CJ) from this year’s show programme:

All the fantastic achievements that troupes, squads and all individuals have attained while dancing at CJ’s are very rewarding for myself and all my teachers. However, fifteen years ago when I set up CJ’s, my biggest goal was not to produce a school full of prima ballerinas or budding professional dancers but, to provide a place where young people could feel special, where everyone was important and all helped each other. It is an honour to have a dancer turn professional or, gain a place at a prestigious stage school knowing that you have helped them achieve their dreams. However it is also rewarding seeing individuals gaintheir very first exam, or achieve their first Distinction after working so hard.

In life where so many people forget the important things of caring for each other and treating everyone as they would like to be treated, I like to think that CJ’s offers that little sanctuary where young people can grow into great adults.