Gemma’s determined to keep Cramlington dancing!

Keep Dancing and Carry On…

That’s the message from Cramlington’s Gemma Crane who has made sure that over 200 youngsters have been able to dance their way through the pandemic.

Gemma, 39 and from East Cramlington, has a full-time job as Head of Business and IT at a secondary school in Sunderland.
That would be enough to occupy most people but Gemma’s passion for dance means she dedicates most of her leisure time to youngsters who, like her, just want to dance.

Gemma was nominated for a Neighbourhood Hero award by her husband Stu who said “She’s a hero in so many ways – a mum to our 4 year old, a school teacher and she has run her own dance school for over 15 years. When the pandemic started, rather than worry about herself she continued to work on her dance school and came up with a variety of ways for children to continue dancing. Through this all nothing is too much bother for Gemma as she makes sure all her kids and families are okay. To me she is the biggest gem in Cramlington and I’m her biggest fan.”

The Little Gems School Of Dance At The Studio operates from Enterprise Court and offers lessons including dance, drama, cheerleading and musical theatre.

Gemma explains “Of course we have had to alter our methods to fit in with the current restrictions. In the first lockdown we hosted ‘We Are Subscribers’ with daily classes and activities being offered online for the first time. In the second lockdown in November this changed to ‘We Are Survivors’  where we ran classes that were free of charge and open to everyone.and each week had a different theme such as movies or musicals. When the current lockdown began we  started our ‘We Are Tiered’  online offering.”

She added ” I have seen so many positives at the dance school during the pandemic, such as dads in fancy dress joining their children’s classes, youngsters connecting with their friends even though they are physically apart and another positive has been the way in which my team of teachers has continued to support the children and the school, giving up their own time for free to deliver activities and classes throughout each lockdown.”

“As Claudia and Tess say… Keep On Dancing!”

Cramlington Town Council is pleased to announce that Gemma is their latest ‘Neighbourhood Hero!

 

Do you know someone who goes above and beyond for the benefit of Cramlington residents? Email jane@cramlingtontowncouncil with your suggestions for a Neighbourhood Hero award.