Johanne Hudon-Ar mstrong’s 4-year-old daughter, Mia, loves to dance. She’s been mimicking dance moves since she could walk.

Hudon-Armstrong wanted to expand Mia’s dance world to include singing
and acting classes, but she couldn’t find the type of performing arts
school she’d fallen in love with during an extended stay in Manchester,
England.

During her stay, Hudon-Armstrong had watched her niece, Madison, in action at Manchester’s StageCoach Theatre Arts School.

“It was a friendly environment,” she said. “Madison was very shy by
nature but over (the course of four years) I watched her grow into a
confident young girl.”

So Hudon-Armstrong is opening Quebec’s first StageCoach Theatre Arts
School at Beaconsfield United Church on Sept. 29. Singing, acting and
dancing classes for children ranging in age from 4 to 16 years old will
be held every Saturday. An open house will be held Sept. 22, from 11
a.m. to 1 p.m.

StageCoach co-managing director Richard Dawson will fly in from England to attend.

“Parents can ask him questions about the school’s philosophy and we
will be showing a StageCoach video,” Hudon-Armstrong said. “Of course,
there will be play opportunities for the children.”

The StageCoach approach allows the child to develop at his or her
own pace, with the focus on learning in a classroom setting as opposed
to rehearsing for a big show or preparing for a competition or exam.

“The StageCoach approach is about nurturing a child’s confidence,
natural performance skills and communication skills in a friendly
environment. Studying the performing arts builds skills for life,”
Hudon-Armstrong said.

The first StageCoach Theatre Arts School was established in Surrey,
England, in 1988. There are now 700 schools worldwide, including in
Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto.

Hudon-Armstrong called StageCoach headquarters in England on New
Year’s Day to inquire about opening a school. On April Fool’s Day,
Dawson interviewed her.

Hudon-Armstrong has never studied the performing arts, but she saw
evidence of a passion for the arts in her daughter and wanted to do
everything possible to fan the flame.

“Mia is a natural talent. It’s my job to nurture that,” she said.

The classes are 90 minutes for children enrolled in the
4-to-6-year-old “Early Stages” level and three hours – one hour each of
dance, singing and acting – for the 6to16-year-old “Main Stage” level.
Each class will have a maximum of 15 students.

The fee is $245 for a 10-week “Early Stages” session and $435 for a 10-week “Main Stage” session.

The open house for the StageCoach Theatre Arts School is at
Beaconsfield United Church, 202 Woodside Rd., Sept. 22, from 11 a.m. to
1 p.m. For info, call 514827-9412 or visit
www.stagecoachschools.ca/beaconsfield.