Fleet-Wood Dancentre has been apart of the community for over 25 years. The School of Dance is nestled in the heart of 65 Simcoe Street next to The Library. Parents can enjoy the spacious interior comfort of the building and enjoy exploring the Art Gallery and the delectibles at The Creemore Coffee Shoppe, or enjoy viewing their child’s class from the Press Gallery on a live video feed.
September 2011 Sharron Williams Fleet, Artistic Director and Co-Founder, Fleet-Wood Dancentre received the Inaugural Award for “Arts and Culture” for exemplary achievement in teaching and promoting the dance arts in her community. In 2012 Sharron relocated Fleet-Wood Dancentre to a new, state of the art studio in the “Arts and Cultural Hub of Collingwood” at 65 Simcoe Street, joining long time friends Theatre Collingwood. Dancers, siblings and parents can now enjoy tasty delights, teas and coffees of the Creemore Coffee Shoppe, view the work of many local visual artists, and study Drama, all within 65 Simcoe Street.
Fleet-Wood’s mandate is to offer both recreation and pre-professional training, along with performance opportunities in a non competitive environment. Students are dressed in beautiful custom made costumes for the yearly June Recital Performance. Every December, the school’s ballet students perform in the windows of Downtown Collingwood dressed in beautiful Nutcracker costumes. Every other year, the Centre launches a full-scale production of this popular holiday ballet. Graduates of Fleet-Wood’s pre-professional program have gained admittance to professional dance schools and universities with acclaimed dance departments. The Fleet-Wood faculty specializes in the Cecchetti Method of of ballet, which provides the necessary training to prepare students for serious auditions. In addition to catering to those who live to dance, the centre offers recreational opportunities for adults and children in everything from jazz and ballet to hip-hop. Many years have passed since Sharron Fleet and Jane Wooding joined forces in 1994 to open the Dancentre. To date, more than 2,000 studdents have passed through their doors, trained by the owners themselves and other faculty members, who include several Fleet-Wood alumni.
Sharron’s Award
Several Fleet-Wood students have gone on to full time professional career training schools and universities in Canada and the United States, as follows..
Canada’s National Ballet School
- Diane Madill, graduated 2000
- Devon Stone, Summer School 1996
- Erin Plesa Topham, Summer School 2001
- Alecia Forsyth, Summer School 2002
- Madeleine Tranter, Summer School and Full Program 2004-2005
- Emily Stewart National Ballet School 2007
- Sophia Wensley Pappas, National Ballet School
- Leah Beamish, Teacher Training Program
York University, Department of Dance
- Erin Currie, 2000, graduated in 2003
- Abbey Spies, 2000, graduated in 2003
- Jennifer Rozycki, 2002
- Diane Madill, graduated in 2003
- Lauren O’Neil White
GEORGE BROWN SCHOOL OF THE PERFORMING ARTS
- Elizabeth Lougheed, graduated 1999
- Jonathan Fleet, graduated 2013
- Sierra Maraj, graduate 2013, 2014
RANDOLPH ACADEMY OF THE PERFORMING ARTS
- Jonathan Waltho, 2000
THE SCHOOL OF TORONTO DANCE THEATRE
- Teena Walker, graduated 1986, Performed with Kaeja d’Dance
QUINTE BALLET SCHOOL
- Jennifer Nichols 1994
- Rachel Prince 1996
- James Clark 1999
- Lauren O’Neill White 1999
- Jennifer Robinson, 2001
- Caitlin Gauweiler, 2001
- Erin Plesa Topham, 2001
- Megan Shields, 2004
- Melissa Lockhart, 2006
- Camille Paget, 2015
RYERSON UNIVERSITY
- Shannon Roberts, BFA Dance 2004-2009
- Shannon Roberts, MFA Dance Choreography 2010
McMASTER UNIVERSITY
- Colin Eccles…. Bachelor Arts Honours, Music