We founded MESH Ballet, along with its sister MESH businesses with the intention of helping people change their lives for the better.
Dance, in all its forms, is a physical expression of joy and taking part in dance classes helps to spread this feeling across all age ranges, genders and abilities.
We believe that MESH classes allow all students to progress not only with their chosen skills but also with their physical fitness, balance and coordination as well with their interpersonal skills, teamworking and resilience.
MESH BALLET
Achieving Our Best Together
SU CROSSLAND
Principal
I have been dancing since I was 3 years old and have spent most of my life dancing classical ballet. I have tried my hand at many other styles over the years and have spent a lot of time on my second dance passion, tap.
I qualified as a teacher with the Associated Board of Dance in 2015, after spending many years as a dancing 'supply teacher', and now hold my Ballet, Tap and Contemporary Associate certificates.
I am also a Youth Mental Health First Aider, safeguarding trained, and hold a certificate in inclusive dance. I believe it is important to look after the whole students, not just their dance skills.
Dancing is my passion and I want to inspire others to let dance become a part of their lives and hopefully give them a wide range of skills in the process.
MATT CROSSLAND
Technical Support
Mr Matt's role with MESH Ballet is purely technical - or so he likes to think. He has spent many years as a dance photographer, videographer and stage technician. The dogsbody role also extends to creating ballet barres, props and other things needed to keep our children's classes interesting and stimulating. Although he believes his role is purely technical, as Miss Su's husband, he also has a very important role of maintaining moral support through all the ups and downs of running a dance school!
He has been on hand for dance shows, compiling and controlling music and designing lighting, along with taking show photographs and recording performances. He is probably quite glad to have handed over the sound and lighting to our fabulous team for 2021!
Outside the ballet school Mr Matt becomes "Sir" to his students at MESH Tae Kwon-Do, a martial arts club that shares its principals with MESH Ballet.
CAROLYN WATKINSON
Welfare Officer
Miss Cal has been a Dance Mum for more years than she probably cares to remember, having nurtured 3 daughters through varying amounts of dance classes from an early age. As her 2 younger daughters became more involved in dancing so did Miss Cal. She was soon making costumes, chaperoning at shows, and eventually taking on the licensing applications for the dance school performances in Birmingham.
If you haven't guessed already, Miss Cal is Miss Su's mum! This meant she was perfectly placed to continue her welfare role after moving up north, ensuring that students, volunteers and staff are all well looked after during exams, shows and other events. Especially Miss Su - ensuring she is fed and watered and not stressing too much!
If you look carefully, you will also see Miss Cal tapping across the stage as one of Miss Su's adult tap students. She really has taken her role as Dance Mum very seriously!
GRAHAM WATKINSON
Stage Manager
Mr Graham is an engineer by training so you wouldn't necessarily think him the obvious choice to be part of the MESH Ballet team. However, he has also been a Dance Dad to the same 3 daughters so learned all about ballet shoes and ballet buns along with the rest of the family. Mr Graham's other skills could also come in handy: presented with a piece of sequinned fabric at 9:30pm and told a headdress was needed, by 7:30 the next morning a perfect Ruby Fairy tiara awaited the 18 year old Miss Su!
By this point Mr Graham had also become more involved in the ballet school and was stage managing shows with 350 students. He then started SMing for another ballet school with a similar number of students. So, following the move away from Birmingham, his first SM job with MESH Ballet must have been a complete doddle with just 20 students on stage!
Mr Graham's engineering skills are still put to good use when he is given responsibility for building trees for on set or, for our latest show, rigging interchangeable backcloths and fixing stage curtains between performances!