About Us
Talent Dance & Gymnastics Academy is a Dance and Gymnastics school based in Cambridgeshire.
We have worked all across Cambridgeshire to deliver high quality upskilling, helping teachers to gain confidence in their dance & gym delivery. We also provide schemes of work, session plans, workshops and enrichment sessions for schools.
We are going into our 13th year of working with schools to provide our sessions for primary school aged children. We run the majority of our session in Huntingdon, St.Ives and Great Wilbraham which is a little village just outside of Cambridge.
We work with schools to provide fun, educational, engaging and exciting sessions for the students.
Talent Dance Academy is also an accredited centre, to provide and train students in gaining their Dance Leadership Qualifications. We work with the "Leadership Skills Foundation" to guide and train our assistants and passionate students, to gain life long qualifications.
Where the passion started....
Ms Charlotte Cooney
CEO
Charlotte started dancing at the age of 3 studying RAD ballet with Mr John Dowson and New Road studios. She also danced as a child with the Wendy Burke School of Dance studying Modern and Tap ISTD. In which she took all her exams up to intermediate level. She also attended Jazz technique classes with The Guitart School of Dance and New Road Studios.
As a teenager Charlotte used to run the after-school dance club at her secondary school and choreographed many school play production numbers for her peers. Also, whilst at secondary school, Charlotte auditioned and was accepted into a contemporary company based in Cambridge which performed and created many pieces. Charlotte went on to study at the prestige dance school “Bodywork” in Cambridge. She attended for 4 years gaining her foundation course certificate alongside her level 6 national diploma in Dance.
Charlotte went on to teach BTEC dance and gained her PTLLS (preparing to teach in the lifelong learning sector) Level 4 qualification, helping her to teach and guide adults. She has also taught for the Hunts Schools Sports Partnership, Living Sport and worked with other sports companies.
Charlotte has also many sports qualifications such as Multiskills, Tri golf and Badminton! Charlotte has taught in many dance schools across Cambridge, Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire. She has choreographed winning pieces for the UDO competitions held across the UK!
Charlotte set up Talent Dance Academy in 2012 after graduation from Bodywork. Hungry for more, she began working within schools to teach and upskill the teachers in dance. Over the 12 years since she graduated Charlotte has worked in almost every school in Huntingdonshire! teaching Dance PE sessions to children and helping the teachers to gain confidence and knowledge within dance.
Charlotte has also worked with the SCITT training centre for the past 4 years based in Cambridge and Bury St. Edmunds to train the trainee teachers in dance.
Realising that primary schools also need help with Gymnastics delivery, Charlotte gained her "Gymnastics Activity Instructors" qualification with the British Gymnastics in 2025, meaning she can now coach and help teachers with this subject too. From this "Talent Gymnastics Academy" was born and we Charlotte and the team have been coaching is schools ever since and running their popular Gym Holidays Camps.
"Talent Dance Academy" is also a qualified centre to train 13+ year olds to gain their Level 2 qualification in Dance Leadership. This was something Charlotte was passionate about being able to offer past students who moved onto secondary school, and wished to start a career in dance and teaching. Charlotte and Hazel have coached and continue to coach young adults with this qualification and guide them.
Currently Charlotte teaches for The Vicky Grant School of dance based in St. Ives Cambridgeshire, she has taught there for 10 years now and loves working with her VG family. Charlotte is also a trained sports massage therapist! She feels this qualification can also help and guide her students and fellow colleagues.
The important bit..... Charlotte and the team have noticed that move than ever in the past few years that primary schools are crying out for support and guidance in Dance and Gymnastics. Charlotte has set up "The Dance Guide" a specialist website where teachers can ask advice and guidance with their Dance teaching, planning and delivery. Here teachers can access schemes of work, music advice, topic related dances, choreography and MORE!!!
charlottecooney@talentdanceguide.co.uk
Coaches and Assistants
All our coaches have a minimum of a Level 2 in Dance and a recognised British Gymnastics Qualification, or Acro qualification, allowing them to teach within a Primary School setting.
All of our assistants have been trained by Charlotte from an early age!
(Something we are very proud about and love that they have come back to assist!)
We love being able to have past students back to help us within our clubs and camps!
If you or your child has attended before and would like to be an assistant with us,
please get in contact!
From this we can then help them to gain a recognised
Level 2 Dance Leaders Qualification!