A BALLET school that shows the ropes to the tiniest little dancers has celebrated 10 years of going from strength to strength.

Miss Jeanes Toddlers Ballet holds classes for children from one year old and up at Steps Dance Studio in Bridport.

It was started in July 2006 by Fee Jeanes in the wake of the death of her friend and teacher Bernard Gale, whose dance studio nurtured generations of young Bridport dancers.

Over the years it has grown exponentially and on Saturday July 16, a troop of dancers celebrated 10 years since Miss Fee, as she is known by her students, opened the class to 12 toddlers.

Now she has just less than 100 dancers ranging from one year old to an adult class.

Miss Fee said: "I used to teach and help out with Bernard Gale’s School of Dancing. He passed away 10 years ago.

"Being a pupil of his since I was three, my life revolved around dance. I used to help him with the toddlers’ class.

"When he died, I decided I didn’t want to stop and kept going with a class of 12.

"Children got to the age of four and didn’t want to leave and now it’s snowballed and I have got just under 100 children.

"Some of the ones that were with me 10 years ago are now 13 and helping teach the younger ones.

"It has just gone from strength to strength and now I’ve added an adult ballet class.

"All of it is thanks to Bernard having taught me, and now I’m able to pass on his lessons to other children.

"The mums are more like friends than parents. I’ve got amazing students and amazing parents."

Each year, a presentation is held instead of a formal show, but this year to mark the special occasion the kids performed their very own rendition of classics by Beatrix Potter.

Miss Fee said: "As I stood on the stage I found it totally overwhelming. I was proud of how beautifully they all danced.

"My students start at age one, with the mummy and me classes then I step in more as they get older.

"The standard is kept very high, and I’m really proud of the children.

"I work as an auxiliary nurse in a hospital but the dancing is my passion.

"Because it is my passion, I make time to do it and don’t do anything else.

"My life is the ballet and my spare time is thinking about new things to do.

"They call me Miss Fee and now even people at work call me Miss Fee.”