Inspire Ballet & Dance

20/04/2026

My beautiful, beautiful Ellie, from the day you tiptoed into my class bursting with excitement to dance (and wear your mummy’s ballet shoes!) I knew from that moment you were born for this and you were going to be a star! When you are on stage you light up the auditorium and are completely encapsulating, when you are in class you work hard but you are also funny and friendly and a joy to be around! Anyone who has danced with you knows this! We are all so, so proud! I will be there with a bunch of bananas on your first day and your last too and then when you join a company before we know it! Thrilled you chose to continue training in the UK after all our international travel together (London, Italy, France, Germany, Amsterdam and counting!). Everyone at Inspire wishes you a huge congratulations and all the very, very best in your adventure ahead! 🥰🤩🥰🤩🩰🩰💝

28/03/2026

01/03/2026

VERY rarely nowadays I squeeze into my indescribably busy schedule a seed 🌱 from my original business. Inspire Ballet Parties - where I hand make all the costumes, props & the back drop, I teach, I dance, I enchant and inspire. I always go the extra mile & definitely over the top but I see the impact of the little people’s lives & the parents are often enthralled too! 💕🎂🩰✨🪄

30/11/2025

Winter showcase 2015…three shows, one day; cast of 300+ (many in multiple numbers), audience of 5/600…utter success, sheer joy, bursting with pride (slightly too exhausted to see straight to share the tonnes of footage we have age 7-18yrs) and immensely grateful for my incredible team and devoted families of Inspire. Blown away by the seniors secret tribute dance 🤍🕊️🥹. Ginormous congratulations and thanks to one and all who danced, helped make these shows happen and who came to watch. Another day to remeber forever! 🙏🏻💕💕✨

14/11/2025

Rest in peace my darling Marietjie…you transformed my life with all your help and love, we will forever love you and miss you and be grateful 🕊️💕🙏🏻 from my family and everyone at Inspire ###

01/11/2025

English National Ballet School; as my school has grown over time and my little ones have grown with me it is so special to see some choosing a vocational pathway and to know they share that burning passion and desire to dance that I too have! Well done darlings, professionally presented and enchanting as ever! 💕🩰✨

22/08/2025

Another wonderful afternoon watching our beautiful Ellie perform following a week with thank you for your constant forward thinking in this industry, the opportunities you present the next generation of dancers are much needed and appreciated. The focus of this week was to introduce dancers serious about a career in a ballet company, to the realities of company life, such as the intricacies of corps de ballet work (being a soloist is very different!) the demands of the repertoire on stamina and strength as much as artistry plus much more.

Incredibly, their special guest teacher all week was Dominic Antonucci who is the Assistant Director BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET. The gorgeous Rachel Hester (RBS Associates) and Joshua Barwick (Elmhurst) also shared their gifts with the students across the week. A pleasure to meet you and thank you to all involved ✨

13/08/2025

7 countries, 5 weeks, 39 ✈️ tickets, 24 international teachers; (everyone of them with something unique to give), 28 students, 2 international Galas, 5 demonstration days, 6 scholarships, with and without my babies . An incredible increase in strength, grace, resilience, growth, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Inspiration, love, laughter and pride! Not an awful lot of sleep or admin time… but it has been phenomenal! ☀️🩰🤩💕🇬🇷🇫🇷🇮🇹🇩🇪🇷🇴🇺🇸🇷🇺 🇲🇨🇬🇧
, thank you so much (odd not to have fitted in RBS this summer, but I think I’ve made up for it 😅) ❤️❤️❤️

09/08/2025

Paul Kay, Royal Ballet School Artistic Manager: Intensive Courses and Auditions (UK)

Grant Martin Scruggs, Professor at Akademie Des Tanzes, Mannheim, Germany.

Samantha Melville-Smith, Artistic Director & Founder, Inspire Ballet & Dance London

☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️ another few days of tremendous classes and acquaintances 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰 Grazie Mille

05/08/2025

Italy 2025 Chianciano, ‘In Danza’ The world on one stage’ Academie Lacopini, what an incredible faculty of teachers from across the world and amazing experience we are having here from Classical ballet, Physiotecnica and Repertoire to Chinese traditional dance, choreographic workshops, Contemporary hip-hop and Modern Musical Theatre!! 21 of us in including my little family have travelled here to dance 6-7.5hrs a day for 9 days concluding in Gala on Saturday night! 🤪🤩🥰 Miss Chloe & Miss Charlotte are utter rocks & my dear most fabulous friend, professor Mirko Sabatini it is such a joy to be with you again - 8 years since we first started this adventure! 🥰 Thank you so much Nicoletta and all involved and well done to my hard working students! 💪🏻🩰🎊