Elena’s top 7 and half dance costumes

As cheesy as it sounds I can’t remember a time in my life that I haven’t danced. I went to my first ballet class aged 3, first performance on stage aged 4 and completed in the dance festival circuit from the age of 5 to 18. 

Throughout my life, I’ve studied ISTD ballet, tap, jazz and modern with a brief stint in Bharatanatyam, classical Indian dancing, when my family moved to Italy when I was 8 years old.

I went on to study drama and Italian at university but always kept up with the dancing. In 2012, I had the opportunity of a lifetime by performing at the London Olympics Closing Ceremony. It was just a year later when I met Fiona and we started working together.

Being involved in so many dance shows and competitions has left me with a rather large dance costume cupboard and more importantly some amazing photos. With so many great pictures of florescent leotards, tutus and sequins, here are my 7 and half top outfits which I couldn’t not share.

Costume one 'I can sing a rainbow'

Elena: Age 4

This photo is a true 90s classic - lilac leotard with puffy sleeves with my matching purple cycling shorts. This outfit was for my first ever performance at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham with my dance school Central Stage School of Dance and Drama (Now Dance Studios) where we sang ‘I can sing a rainbow’ and where I remember singing too loudly and feeling mortified!

Costume two 'The Butterfly Catcher'

Elena: Age 6

Now in love with the whole concept of dressing up and performing I took part in my first dance festival. These are dance competitions run throughout the country. I entered the ‘character’ section where I acted out being some sort of victorian butterfly catcher and was placed 4th much to my delight at Loughborough Dance Festival.

Costume three 'Squirrel Nutkin'

Elena: Age 8

Flying high from my previous success, I continued dancing in festivals and when I was 8 I was placed twice on one day! 3rd for my ballet solo and 2nd ‘character’ number where I acted out Squirrel Nutkin at Nottingham Dance Festival. The costume included my mum dying my ballet shoes brown, some papier mâché acorns and a mighty headpiece. Unfortunately you can’t see the impressive squirrel tail I also had!

Costume four and five - 'Ballet and Bharatanatyam' Elena: Age 10

At the age of 8 my family moved to Italy for 3 years due to my dad’s job. I was quickly enrolled in a local dance school ran by an English ballet teacher. I soon became involved in dance shows and even learnt classical Indian dancing with my American dance teacher. I particularly love this classic silk indian outfit which I keep always keep.

Costume six - University of Kent

Elena: Age 20

The teen photos are always the most cringe which I can’t quite bear to share but I can just about cope with this one from my second year at uni so skipping forward 10 years here is me performing in the annual show in a lyrical number that I choreographed (obviously!) and dresses from Primark which I customised for everyone. Each dress was just £1!

Costume seven - 'The Lennon Head' at the London 2012, Olympic Ceremony. Elena: Age 24 

At the age of 24, I decided to audition for the Olympic Ceremony and I was cast as a ‘Lennon head’. The section was to the track 'Imagine' where the dancers performed with giant jigsaw pieces coming together to make John Lennons face which then suddenly broke apart to reveal the one and only George Michael in the centre! It was the most magical experience with some amazing people and not to mention a string of celebrities including the Spice Girls (the 10 year old within me was delighted to be backstage with them!) Following this experience I was completely reignited by love for dance and performance which pushed me into going along to Fiona’s jazz class which lead to a completely new chapter in my life...

…. oh and of course here is half costume, my first Charleston photoshoot with Fiona but it is just the headpiece so technically it doesn’t count as a full costume but still a nice memory of where the Charleston adventure all started in 2013.

MyCharleston Stories: Isabell

We are very excited to welcome our new intern Isabell to our team who will be working with MyCharelston for the next three months and helping us with all things social. Isabell has travelled over from Germany especially for the internship and as tradition we always like our readers to get to know our team so here is our 60 second interview with Isabell:

Isabell in Scotland.

1. Where did you grow up?

In a small village near Hanover in Lower Saxony.

2. Why did you want to do your internship in the UK?

Because I love travelling and when I was in England in 2016 I fell in love with this place. I also think that it’s a great opportunity for me to learn new things every day, for example about British culture or life and the work, but also about me. 

3. What’s the last thing you watched on TV and why did you choose to watch it?

On Netflix the film ‘To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before’, because I loved the books, and so I needed to see if the film is at least as good as the book.

4. What songs are included on the soundtrack to your life?

Wie Ich, by Kraftklub

You Will Be Found, from the Musical ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ 

Isabell and her exchange student.

5. If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? 

To speak Portuguese, because then I could understand the family of my Brazilian exchange student.

6. If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do? 

Thanking my parents by buying them a trip to anywhere they would like to go, because they made it possible that I were able to travel to Brazil, Scotland and England in the last two years and now England again for three months.

7. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be? 

Canada, Sweden and New Zealand. 

8. If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose? 

Hermoine Granger from Harry Potter. 

Isabell photographing in Germany.

9. What's your favourite indoor/outdoor activity? 

Indoor - reading and writing

Outdoor - photographing

10. What chore do you absolutely hate doing?

Cleaning the cage from my budgies.

11. If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would you meet?

Walt Disney, because I grew up watching Disney movies and I still love them. I admire him for his creativity and for what he did.

Isabell with her sister at the "Erntefest" in her hometown.

12. Where has been your favourite place to visit?   

The Iguazu Falls in Brazil.

13. What three traits define you?

Kind, creative and helpful.

14. After your internship what is next for you?

I'm going back to Germany to study.

15. What one thing should an English Person try, or do, in Germany?

They should definitely try German bread and Lebkuchen. And they could visit a "Erntefest", which is basically a harvest festival which preserves old traditions, with dancing and a pageant. 

16. What are you looking forward to the most during your stay in Brighton?

To explore Brighton and its surroundings, to get some good photos. But also to meet new people.

How we became entrepreneurs by accident

MyCharleston was an idea that came about after performing together at a 1920s show in Brighton. From that moment, we fell in love with Charleston dancing and decided to collaborate to make a video showcasing the dance talents of our home city, Brighton and Hove.      

To get film participants we began running Charleston dance classes in January 2014. This was a nine-month passion project squeezed in between Elena’s full-time job and Fiona going through IVF treatment. However, it paid off. The film was a huge success and within two weeks was featured by the Evening Standard and received 40,000 views. As the video went viral the demand for the classes grew and each new course sold out. At that moment we realised we had stumbled across a gap in the market - nobody in the local area was running Charleston classes and there was a huge demand for it.

Pooling together our dance backgrounds and individual skills our hobby turned into a lifestyle business. After three years of running the company in-between Elena’s full-time job as a Marketing Manager for an events company, Fiona giving birth and two house purchases, we joined the NatWest Accelerator in 2017 to gain the skills needed to scale the company. Over the past year, Elena has quit her job, and this has allowed the business to undergo a complete transformation. We are no longer restricted to working on the business in the evenings or weekends. Within six months, the company rebranded, launched in five cities, four teachers have been trained and the business became sustainable. Our goal is to franchise the brand and empower other women to run their own businesses.

Elena and Fiona at Firle Vintage Fair.

The business was born from our passion to dance and perform but also, we also wanted to create something which gave us a sense of fulfilment and a connection to people in the community. MyCharleston fulfils us by enabling us to teach adults new skills, help improve people’s mental and physical fitness along with providing exciting and fun social occasions to transport people back to the 1920s. Ultimately, we make people happy which is incredibly rewarding. 

As individuals we also have our own personal goals. Elena started collaborating with Fiona when we she 26. Although at the time she had a good career in marketing, she was influenced by successful female business owners and always wanted her work to be a true reflection of herself. The business drives her to be the best version of herself. She has proven she has great business skills by turning an idea into a great service which has had meaningful impact on the community. Elena has danced since the age of three and turning her lifelong passion into her work is a dream come true.

Fiona's passion for dance motivates her to create the best possible dance experience for all our customers, ensuring every product is inspiring. She is driven to deliver excellent customer service wanting each student to experience the many benefits of dance. Together, we want to grow the company because we believe dance is a joyful experience which can be shared by all.

Elena and Fiona in the studio

Elena and Fiona performing with Savoy Kicks

Rachel's Story - Swapping Pom Poms for Pearls

Dancing has been a part of my life since I was a child. Like many little girls they get taken along to ballet. I never really got on with it that well. My mum said she could hear the teacher from outside the studio telling me to stay still or stop talking. Despite the fact that I wasn’t going to be a prima ballerina I enjoyed it and wanted to attend. 

Rachel in her disco days

After a short time, a Freestyle Disco dance class started in the community centre very close to where we lived.  I went to one class and I was hooked, ballet was soon forgotten. The music I think was part of the draw, it was a real change from the sounds of the piano in the ballet studio. 

I quickly started competing and continued until I was 18. During that time additional dance styles were added in to the mix. Latin American, Ballroom, Rock n Roll, Street Dance, I even went back to Ballet! 

I enjoyed dancing so much that I really wanted to make it part of my career. I took a contract to be part of the entertainments team on holiday resorts over the UK this also took me to Canada where I choreographed shows and performed in weekly cabarets. 

Rachel's matching dress and pants set!

Dancing in nightclub podiums

Since then it has taken me in many wonderful and strange directions some of the more “memorable” ones are Cheerleading for BHAFC, A giant purple pyramid in a music video, danced at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London’s West End (pretending to be 16 when I was 21!) and too many nights dancing in nightclub podiums then I care to remember.

Rachel cheerleading for BHAFC

Dance jobs are often in unsociable hours, take a lot of rehearsal commitments and often being away from family. I made a decision after some disastrous contracts and missing many family events that it was time to get a “proper job”. 

I am actually quite good at my proper job, but after a while I wanted to reintroduce dancing to my life and one booze fuelled boxing day I started a google search and stumbled across a new Charleston class starting up in Hove. Elena tells me now that I was the first person to book on to the course and she did a little celebration dance when I did. 

The rest is history as they say. I've lucky enough to be involved in so many of the projects that Fiona and Elena have created, from the I Charleston Brighton film to the Speakeasy event at Brighton Fringe. I have lost count of the amount of performances I have been a part of.

Now I am teaching Charleston as part of the team in Worthing and you can often find me at the classes in Hove or flicking around with Savoy Kicks, Oh and I still have my proper job.  

Oh and in case you want to see it, here I am as the giant purple pyramid in a music video:

Elena’s top 7 and half dance costumes

As cheesy as it sounds I can’t remember a time in my life that I haven’t danced. I went to my first ballet class aged 3, first performance on stage aged 4 and completed in the dance festival circuit from the age of 5 to 18. 

Throughout my life, I’ve studied ISTD ballet, tap, jazz and modern with a brief stint in Bharatanatyam, classical Indian dancing, when my family moved to Italy when I was 8 years old.

I went on to study drama and Italian at university but always kept up with the dancing. In 2012, I had the opportunity of a lifetime by performing at the London Olympics Closing Ceremony. It was just a year later when I met Fiona and we started working together.

Being involved in so many dance shows and competitions has left me with a rather large dance costume cupboard and more importantly some amazing photos. With so many great pictures of florescent leotards, tutus and sequins, here are my 7 and half top outfits which I couldn’t not share.

Costume one 'I can sing a rainbow'

Elena: Age 4

This photo is a true 90s classic - lilac leotard with puffy sleeves with my matching purple cycling shorts. This outfit was for my first ever performance at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham with my dance school Central Stage School of Dance and Drama (Now Dance Studios) where we sang ‘I can sing a rainbow’ and where I remember singing too loudly and feeling mortified!

Costume two 'The Butterfly Catcher'

Elena: Age 6

Now in love with the whole concept of dressing up and performing I took part in my first dance festival. These are dance competitions run throughout the country. I entered the ‘character’ section where I acted out being some sort of victorian butterfly catcher and was placed 4th much to my delight at Loughborough Dance Festival.

Costume three 'Squirrel Nutkin'

Elena: Age 8

Flying high from my previous success, I continued dancing in festivals and when I was 8 I was placed twice on one day! 3rd for my ballet solo and 2nd ‘character’ number where I acted out Squirrel Nutkin at Nottingham Dance Festival. The costume included my mum dying my ballet shoes brown, some papier mâché acorns and a mighty headpiece. Unfortunately you can’t see the impressive squirrel tail I also had!

Costume four and five - 'Ballet and Bharatanatyam' Elena: Age 10

At the age of 8 my family moved to Italy for 3 years due to my dad’s job. I was quickly enrolled in a local dance school ran by an English ballet teacher. I soon became involved in dance shows and even learnt classical Indian dancing with my American dance teacher. I particularly love this classic silk indian outfit which I keep always keep.

Costume six - University of Kent

Elena: Age 20

The teen photos are always the most cringe which I can’t quite bear to share but I can just about cope with this one from my second year at uni so skipping forward 10 years here is me performing in the annual show in a lyrical number that I choreographed (obviously!) and dresses from Primark which I customised for everyone. Each dress was just £1!

Costume seven - 'The Lennon Head' at the London 2012, Olympic Ceremony. Elena: Age 24 

At the age of 24, I decided to audition for the Olympic Ceremony and I was cast as a ‘Lennon head’. The section was to the track 'Imagine' where the dancers performed with giant jigsaw pieces coming together to make John Lennons face which then suddenly broke apart to reveal the one and only George Michael in the centre! It was the most magical experience with some amazing people and not to mention a string of celebrities including the Spice Girls (the 10 year old within me was delighted to be backstage with them!) Following this experience I was completely reignited by love for dance and performance which pushed me into going along to Fiona’s jazz class which lead to a completely new chapter in my life...

…. oh and of course here is half costume, my first Charleston photoshoot with Fiona but it is just the headpiece so technically it doesn’t count as a full costume but still a nice memory of where the Charleston adventure all started in 2013.

3 things to expect at your first Charleston class

One of our most frequently asked questions is 'What should I expect at my first Charleston class and is dancing for me?' If you are on fence and what to find out more about adult dance classes in Brighton & Hove. Lewes, Worthing and Portsmouth we have asked our teaching team to give you a 30 second overview of what you will learn in a Charleston course and why our students keep coming back.

Meet Fiona

Fiona, our Creative Director, guarantees that not only will you have learnt the basic Charleston step in just one tune but you will get the chance to learn to Charleston dance to great music and lift your mood!

Meet Elena

Elena has been teaching alongside of Fiona for the past four years and her number one tip to what to expect from class is that the Charleston is a fun and easy dance which you will learn really quickly so you will pick up a new dance skill in no time and within 6 weeks have learnt a routine.

Meet Rachel

Rachel is our Worthing Charleston dance teacher (fun fact: also Fiona and Elena's first ever pupil in 2014!) Her top piece of advice that the Charleston is very accessible so you can put your own style into and has is it a really joyful type of dance you will have fun whilst learning.

To join any of our upcoming Charleston dance courses with Fiona, Elena or Rachel check out our classes and workshops page!

Elena's journey into entrepreneurship

Elena, our MD, has been featured this month in Platinum Business Magazine about taking the plunge from turning MyCharleston into a hobby into a full time job and how the team have grown in in the past 12 month. Read the full interview about her life as an entrepreneur.

Tell us about your journey into entrepreneurship?

Elena with the magazine feature

Fiona and I started working together when we made a short dance film about Brighton. We wanted to showcase our city with people dancing the Charleston in front of iconic locations. After the release of the film it went viral and our dance classes became oversubscribed. From that moment we discovered a gap in the market: People wanted to learn the Charleston. Suddenly we started to get approached to teach, perform at events and make films.

MyCharleston started as a passion project which then grew into a lifestyle business.  Our biggest obstacle from there was changing our mindset. it was hard to think we could take the business a step further. When we were accepted onto the NatWest Accelerator our mentors helped us unravel this block. They challenged our assumptions and pushed us to see we had a business model that could grow. We learnt from shifting our mindset that we could change the company from a hobby into our careers.

In 5 years time what impact will your business have on the world?

MyCharleston provides a service that enriches people, improves health and fosters community. Our experiences make people happier through dance and over the next five years we will continue to grow and create more positive impacts on people’s lives.

What’s your #1 tip for fellow entrepreneurs?

Fiona and I built the company together and working as a partnership has both its challenges and rewards.  My tip if you work with someone is to recognise your partnership as an asset. We have taken time to refine how we work, communicate and nurture our relationship which has been key to growing a healthy and happy business.

How has the NatWest Accelerator programme helped to accelerate you and your business?

Full MyCharleston feature

In August 2017, we were accepted o to the NatWest Accelerator programme where we began a growth plan. It included: Expanding our classes, our events programme and merchandise. In six months we have grown our weekly courses from three to eleven, launched in five new cities and trained four teachers. Our monthly turnover has tripled allowing us to quit our jobs and focus on MyCharleston full time

What are you most excited about right now? 

We are really excited about our expansion. Our ambition for 2019 is to train ten new teachers and to develop into a franchise. We are also really looking forward to the summer season too as we are going to be teaching and performing at many vintage events across Sussex as well as our own 1920s Afternoon Tea events at the Hilton Brighton Metropole in November. 

If you would like to ask Elena a question about MyCharleston or the Natwest Accelerator please contact us here