Betty Laine , is an English dance teacher and former professional dancer.

Biography

Born Betty Chamberlain in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, Betty Laine was educated at the Ursuline Convent School in Brentwood,

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, and received her vocational training in dance and theatre at the

Romford Romford is a large town in east London and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Historically, Romford ...

branch of the

Bush Davies School of Theatre Arts Bush Davies School of Theatre Arts was a dance and performing arts school in the United Kingdom. Founded by the dance teacher Pauline Bush in Nottingham in 1914,"Bush Telegraph", Bush-Davies School, East Grinstead, July 1974 and later with branc ...

, receiving tuition from Marjorie Davies, Joyce Percy and Daphne Peterson. She would go on to work extensively as a dancer in the theatre and television industry. After retiring from the professional world, she transitioned into teaching as a director of the Frecker-Laine School of Dancing in

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

. She ultimately developed the school into a full-time dance and musical theatre college, today's

Laine Theatre Arts Laine Theatre Arts, sometimes referred to as Laines, is an independent performing arts college, based in the town of Epsom in Surrey, England. The college was founded in 1974 by former professional dancer and dance teacher Betty Laine OBE, and d ...

, established in 1974.
The college is now recognised amongst the leading performing arts institutions in the UK, with former students working worldwide in dance and theatre, including West End theatre, West End and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musicals, dance companies, television, film and pop music. In recognition of her work, Laine was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 2002, for services to the Performing Arts. In 2022, She retired as the principal of Laine Theatre Arts after many wonderful years running the school.

ISTD

Laine is a senior member of the

Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) is an international dance teaching and examination board based in London, England. The registered educational charity, which was established on 25 July 1904 as the ''Imperial Society of Dance Te ...

, a dance teaching and examination board. She received her certification as a dance teacher with the organisation, and would eventually be appointed as an examiner for the Classical Ballet and Modern Theatre faculties. She is now a member of the Grand Council, the main administrative body of the organisation, and also works as a lecturer and adjudicator.

References

{{Reflist {{Dance {{authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Laine, Betty Living people People from Cardiff People educated at Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School British female dancers English women choreographers Dance teachers English educators Officers of the Order of the British Empire Year of birth missing (living people)