blossom, learn & shine

Anne Keighley

Director

From an early age I loved to sing and perform for family and friends. My first trip to the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford introduced me to a world of imagination and creativity, igniting a passion for the Arts that I still have today.

I attended stage school and took every opportunity to perform in theatre productions, school productions, radio productions and festivals. With every performance my confidence grew. I gained the kind of skills and experience that last a lifetime.

My studies took me to university where I gained an honours degree in English with Drama. My love of both subjects inspired me to train as a teacher. I performed in a band whilst teacher training, touring venues across the country. We played small gigs and large festivals, and even recorded our own material!

My 18 years in Education have been invaluable and I have experienced many different roles. Most recently, I spent five years working as a Deputy Head.

The highlight of my career was building and leading a thriving Performing Arts Department in a local comprehensive school. Through this role as a drama teacher, I was able to empower young people to change the way they felt about themselves. By building their skills and self-belief, I helped prepare them for successful careers in their chosen field.

I have now taken on the proudest role of my life: being the mother of two wonderful boys. Being a mum has cemented my belief in how important the Arts are in the lives of young people. I believe that Northern Arts Factory will be a positive experience for all who choose to join our adventure.

“When educating the minds of our youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts.” – Dalai Lama

Sally Harington

Director

My love of dance began at the tender age of two when my parents took me to my local dance school in Penrith. It was here that I built my foundations in ballet, tap and jazz dance, and was given the opportunity to perform in various venues, including the Dominion Theatre in London.

Dance remained a hobby throughout my childhood. After taking a gap year, I found myself studying Dance at Newcastle College. It was here I developed a passion for contemporary dance. Two years later, I was lucky enough to find myself training at the prestigious Northern School of Contemporary Dance. This brought me to West Yorkshire – and my career in dance began.

I graduated from Northern in 2000 and started to perform with Stance Dance Company. This Company introduced me to the world of dance in education and I started to develop my skills as a teacher. I worked on a freelance basis in many primary and secondary schools and was also a resident Street Dance teacher at the Yorkshire Dance Centre in Leeds.

In 2002 I was booked into a local comprehensive school to start up a boys’ dance company. It was here that I gained my teaching qualification and worked my way up to Curriculum Leader of Performing Arts – which I’m very proud of. I stayed for 15 years, during which time I met my husband and now have two children.

During my career, I have seen how the Arts can change people’s lives for the better. Seeing individuals grow and succeed with the abilities I’ve taught them is why I love my job. I was once sent an essay that had been written in a student’s English lesson. It said:

“I am so thankful to dance. Dance has given me the opportunity to meet amazing friends, choreographers and teachers. Dance is my best friend. I can always rely on dance to be there to make me feel confident.”

This sums up the impact that Performing Arts can have and what we want to achieve with our new venture, Northern Arts Factory – the next chapter of my career.