Rosemary Warner (nee Thomas), had her first association with the Brighton Competitive Dancing Festival at the tender age of 3 as a shy little dancer in the baby class who stole the limelight as the chicken who wouldn’t come out of the egg when she saw the audience! She did however go on to compete every year as a pupil of the Doris Isaacs school of Dancing until she joined the famous Tiller Girls dance troupe in London. It was here she enjoyed a wonderful career performing at The Victoria Palace Theatre London and in many shows including Sunday Night at the London Palladium and multiple Royal Variety Performances. When she moved back to Hove in 1970 with a young family, Doris Isaacs suggested she help her at her school which ultimately led into a lifetime dedicated to teaching. Rosemary became a partner with Elizabeth Hodgshon at their school in Shoreham and later a teacher at the Glendale School of Dancing in Worthing. She taught ballet and entered students in the Brighton Festival every year, from the days at the Dome and then at Roedean School when it became the Sussex Festival. She was a member of the dancing committee for many years and helped organise the festival, always involved from early morning until the last child danced at the end of the day. She worked closely with their pianist Pat Newland-Baker turning the pages for her, often getting so carried away watching the dancer on stage that she would lift the music higher and higher until Pat almost had to stand to read the music! She had the ability to spread calm, confidence and reassurance to any stressful situation backstage.

She adored teaching and passed on that love to her students, who would do anything for her. Many have gone on to find success in the world of dance, ranging from performing in The Royal Ballet Company to Las Vegas shows, to teaching and starting their own schools. It wasn’t just the cream she worked with, every child was important to her, always giving time and energy. She would spend hours looking for music, finding ideas for solos, searching though books and going to the library. As a perfectionist, she would sit and plan what was right for every pupil and make sure they were ready to do their best in whatever they were doing.

Sadly, her life was cut short in 2003 after a short battle with cancer, but her memory will live on in her family and the many pupils she taught and inspired.