Teri Alben

Full Name	Teri-Marie Alben
Date of Birth	26th December 1983
Teaches	Competitive Freestyle Beginner & Advanced Slowdance, Rock n Roll, & Street
Loves to dance because...	It makes me happy and I love to pass happiness and smiles onto ot hers !

Bio

I've been actively involved with FreeStyle for 20 years. Its something i've always had a huge passion for and

teaching couldn't be a more rewarding job for me. To be able to take children through to Championship level dancers

and see thier confidence increase and watch them grow as dancers is the happiest feeling in the world.

Opening FreeSteppin' Dance Studio was a blessing for me and I have built up a fantastic, well respected and great

achieving danceschool which is like a family to me. I just want to say thank you to all of my parents and FreeSteppers

for supporting the school and we will continue to grow, going from strength to strength, and always dancing for the LOVE - not the pressure !

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I first started dancing at the age of 8 at my local community centre funded by my £1 weekly pocket money. I started with Disco Freestyle beginner routine classes and within the space of 2 months entered for my first competition. By this time I was totally hooked and dancing soon became the love of my life, I was attending dance practises and lessons 5 times a week and competing in competitions most Sunday’s. I continued to do this up until the age of 22 when I finally reached the difficult decision to give up my passion of competing in order to take my teaching qualification.

Having had competitions being such a huge part of my life for many years I regularly attended dance competitions most Sundays up and down the country. I have competed in some of the biggest competitions held on an annual basis and attended regular festivals with the dance school. I qualified for and competed in the Disco Queen Finals in Blackpool, Dancer of the Year, the Great Britain Championships, European Grand Prix, East of England Championships. I have won various titles and memorial trophies, won various competitions and have a large trophy collection with some very valued memories of which will always be treasured.

Having competed for 15 years, I feel this is an achievement in itself. I've been able to watch Disco Freestyle dancing progress over the years, incorporating new moves and dances such as Slow dance, Street dance, Trios, having attended some of the biggest competitions of the years and taking part in these.

I have been choreographing my own routines for some time now and one of the major factors I love about Freestyle dancing is the freedom to move in any which way you feel the music. I love experimenting with new dance moves and finding inspiration from the smallest thing and turning it into a 'new step'. The decision to give up competitions in order to take my teachers qualification was a difficult one as I enjoy competing very much, however, having come this far and seen it progress as it has, I feel I can now give my knowledge and passion down to others, to be able to watch pupils grow as dancers, learn an art and enjoy it as much as I have over the past years.

I carried out my teacher training and taught at the well established Jill Foster Dance Centre. I took my Associate Teaching examination with the International Dance Teachers Association in July 2006 and passed with 95%.

I am a full and current member with the Association of Dance Freestyle Professionals and the International Dance Teachers Association.