Razzamataz Theatre Schools is giving kids their first taste of the spotlight

Denise Gosney, founder of Razzamataz Theatre Schools, admits to being a quiet soul when she was at school. And while dancing and gymnastics helped her come out of her shell, she was still something of a late bloomer. “I actually didn’t start taking performing arts – in particular dance – seriously until I was ten,” says Gosney. “It was quite late, considering I have gone on to make a lifelong career from it. But I completely caught the bug.”

Gosney went on to become a professional dancer, performing in pantomimes and on cruise liners, before becoming a choreographer. However, when she reached her late twenties, she had to think again about her career. “A dancer’s life is actually quite short,” says Gosney. “Probably at about 26 or 27 I was starting to think, ‘what else am I going to do?'”

Following a brief spell as a fitness instructor, Gosney was yearning to put her unique talents to good use. Thankfully, she already had some experience. “Gymnastics really brought me out of my shell,” she says “I was teaching by the age of 12 and I went to Canada to teach Canadian children at 15. That’s where my confidence built because I realised I actually did have a talent for something.”

In 2000, Gosney started the first Razzamataz Theatre School, offering classes in West End musical theatre, street dancing and pop singing to children aged two through to 18.”

However, while teaching would be at thecentre of her new venture, Gosney very much wanted it to serve as an extra-curricular activity for its ‘customers’, free of the constraints and pressures of education. “I never wanted a dance school because dance school is full of exams and that is one thing that we don’t do at Razz,” she says. “My wee boy is seven. He is going into his SATs and there is so much pressure put on them at such a young age with exams. We do arts awards now but there aren’t a lot of exams, as such. It is all about building confidence and giving them opportunities.”

As Gosney explains, the way the performing arts sector has changed over the years also influenced her choice of business model. “Years ago, in the entertainment business, the dancers danced, the comedian did their piece and the singers sung. But it’s changed – it’s all show teams now. In the West End, you expect it to be a triple set, as we call it in our industry. That means you are able to do all three disciplines: dance, drama and singing.”