Wendy Hatton has danced since she was three years old. After a successful champoinship career, Wendy decided to settle down and concentrate on teaching others to dance.
At the beginning of 1988, Wendy Hatton broke away from her former school and decided to set up her own classes for children, with two 1 hour lessons in Ballroom, Latin American and Disco, under the name of the McNichol School Of Dancing. As demand exceeded presumption and expectation, the classes were expanded to a 10:30am till 3:30pm slot on Saturdays at St. Oswald’s Church Hall, Whiteleas. During this period, Wendy encouraged professional instructor, Sue Staines, back into the dancing circuit to help with the unexpected over-flowing numbers.
As 1992 approached, Adult classes beckoned and Wendy began a Dance night on Wednesday evenings, showing the adult dancing world her talent and masterful knowledge of dance.
1995 allowed Wendy to open Beginners sequence classes, which opened the door for the Adult classes in Country and Western, which then began in the following year of 1996.
1996 also invited Wendy to open an annual 2 month event, in the form of a Social Evening at the Vets Social Club, Laygate. This would be the chance for all Adult classes to meet up and enjoy an evening of dance and food. As 1998 approached the Vets club became too small a venue to host the amount of people that were turning up to the Social Evenings. Due to the quota of numbers, Wendy moved this occasion to the Hedworth Hall, Dean Road, which had the capacity to hold 300 people.
1999 held a new prospective for the school, as this was the year that Wendy organised a Holiday vacation for the entire school. This has since proved to a successful move by the school, as the trip away remains one of the main highlights of the academic year.
The year 2000 and a new millennium approached, which also regenerated a new woman in Wendy. After divorcing her husband Peter, Wendy strove to promote her school under a new name – The HATTON School of Dancing!
As the school grew stronger and stronger 2001 allowed an extra Children’s Team dancing class to be included into the heavy timetable.
2002 allowed the introduction of yet another Adults Beginner Country and Western Class, Adults Salsa and Speech and Drama classes for the Children, with Stuart Hatton and Rachel Thompson. 2002 also was the year that the school moved from The Hedworth Hall to Brinkburn Comprehensive School for the Social Evenings as yet again, the classes grew out of the smaller hall.
2003 has since offered the Adults the experience of yet another Sequence class, Beginners Salsa, Ballroom and Latin American
Always a true professional in offering countless opportunities to student teachers and newly qualified instructors, Wendy had recommended that Rachel Garbutt (BA Hons Dance)conducted a Cheerleading class on Saturday mornings.
On August 1st 2004, Stuart Hatton and Rachel Thompson directed the school's first ever Stage Production called Crazy Quilt! The show encorporated such famous dance routines from Annie, Oliver!, Moulin Rouge, Grease and the Multi-Oscar-Winning Chicago. The Show was a fast SELL-OUT and the demand for an encore is soon approaching. Watch This Space!!!
To this day the school continues to grow successfully, offering the very best of the dancing world today, to dancers all around the United Kingdom.
The Children's Class of 1990.
Medal Test Presentation photo with the Mayor and Mayoress of
South Tyneside at The Companions Club South Shields
The Children's class of 2004 as the stars of Crazy Quilt!
