Our Mission Through Motion
There is more about Motion Control Dance than just movement – we aim to ENRICH LIVES THROUGH MOVEMENT whilst tackling social change in the Vale of Glamorgan. Committed to providing a safe and positive environment in which all students can feel empowered, comfortable and free to express themselves.
This is a studio where creativity, individuality and self-expression is encouraged. Our amazing & dedicated teachers are passionate about enriching lives and making a difference through movement. Striving to nurture and develop talent and celebrate the success of all students. We aim to inspire a love and appreciation of all styles of dance.
We are dedicated to creating beautiful & treasured memories by providing exciting opportunities and experiences in dance that they will remember forever. Our goal is to create a positive and enjoyable experience for all. Developing confidence and self-esteem to overcome and break down barriers. Allowing our members to achieve new skills that will broaden their horizons.
“We are experts who allow the Joy of Motion help our members and their families lead better, healthy, happier lives.”
Progression Over The Years
Creator of quality designs and thinker of fresh ideas.
Since 2000, Emma Mallam the founder of Motion Control Dance, has provided the Vale of Glamorgan with opportunities and experiences in community dance. Whether it’s dancing for fun, fitness or working towards a professional career, she has worked in both the educational and community setting. Teaching hundreds of children, young people and adults each year. Her motto for her service is to give everyone ‘A Chance 2 Dance’.
From 2008, Motion Control Dance began to grow into a buzzing community dance project with an array of freelance dance tutors with a wealth of knowledge and experience. Offering a range of weekly dance classes in different dance styles for children and young people of all ages and abilities. Our disability dance programme was established and has grown in reputation throughout the region.
In 2015, Motion Control Dance became a registered charity to advance the education of people of all ages, in the art of dance, through the provision of classes, training, workshops and performance opportunities.
With the lease of our new studio in 2017, Motion Control Dance charity extended its reach into the community by providing movement sessions for adults and older people. This increased our mission to tackle social isolation in the community and give everyone a Chance to Dance.
The end of 2019 saw our room be transformed into a fully equipped dance studio with a new sprung floor thus ensuring we are enriching lives through movement. The journey of Motion Control Dance is now thriving in our community.
Find Out MoreMeet Our Dream Team!
We have a Dream Team faculty at Motion Control Dance. They are dedicated and passionate tutors, and furthermore, they are all professional and qualified in the field of community dance. They all hold a current enhanced DBS and stay up to date with all safeguarding and professional development to ensure our members have an enjoyable dance experience. Our members to achieve new skills that will broaden their horizons whilst breaking down barriers.
Dance has been my passion since I attended my first dance class at the age of 3 and it has been a huge part of my life since. As a young dancer, I performed at the New Theatre, Cardiff for many years in pantomime and gained great results in many traditional dance examinations in RAD Ballet, Tap and Modern. I graduated from De Montfort University, Bedford with a 2:1 BA Hons Dance, Drama & Sports Studies degree and PGCE Secondary Dance. I have an extensive wealth & knowledge of teaching many styles of dance across the UK in both the education and community setting to a wide range of ages and abilities from working in the industry for the past 25 years. I hold an ADPA Diploma Level 4 in Street Dance and also a foundation Diploma of Working with Disadvantaged Children through the medium of Dance. Recently I have trained in working with older people and have gained knowledge and experience in Dance and Dementia and Dance for Parkinson’s sessions. In 2020 I was shortlisted for the Dance in Wales Award by One Dance UK. I have been developing and co-ordinating the Motion Control Dance programme since I created it back in 2001, making a difference to thousands of lives through movement across the Vale of Glamorgan and surrounding areas.
My enjoyment for dance began when I was 3 years old, joining a local dance school and performing my first dance, Chick, Chick Chicken. Although I did throw up during the performance I must have enjoyed it as here I am still doing what I love. Upon joining Comprehensive school I started to take my enjoyment for dance more seriously gaining GCSE and A-Level accreditations, this led to attending Rubicon Dance for their 1 year programme and onto Coventry University with a 2:1 in Dance and Professional Practice. From graduating I was lucky to have the opportunity to start teaching dance in the Rhondda Cynon Taff, this allowed me to start my journey in Community Dance and when utilizing my skills to become a Youth Worker this led me to cross paths with Emma. So from 2008 I became a part of the team. As I have become an SEN Learning Support Assistant over the years my knowledge and skills in this area has allowed me to deliver the weekly disability classes for Motion Control and become the Disability Project Worker. My proudest moment has to be having the first disability group compete at the annual Encore event. Even after all these years in Community Dance I am always learning and gaining new skills, most recently with Stop Gap, an Inclusive Professional Dance Company with their teacher training SEEDBED - A Pathway to Teaching Inclusively. I have played a huge part in creating dance opportunities with our unique Local Motion Dance programme as being the only community dance providers in the Vale of Glamorgan for children, young people and adults giving them a Chance to Dance.
Keeping active and dancing through life is hugely important for my health and wellbeing. As a toddler I loved dancing and singing and at three years old I started dance classes, first RAD Ballet, then Modern and Tap ISTD exam syllabus, performing yearly in dance productions, through to my teenage years, which included pantomimes and professional production. I graduated with a BA (Hons) Dance with Arts and Cultural Management from Liverpool University, and an (OCN) Dance Leaders in the Community, and continued training in contemporary dance techniques and studied Capoeira. This led me to perform and teach internationally with Earthfall Physical Theatre Company, as well as National Theatre Wales and Jo Fong among others. I have 20 years experience leading classes and residencies with communities and in education with all ages and abilities. Since 2019 I've specialised in developing the Older People’s Dance programme at MCD teaching LIFT for over 50s, Dance for Parkinson’s, sessions for people with dementia and their partners, and within care homes across the Vale. I've produced dance films and podcasts through commissions as well delivering doorstep dances in Cardiff the Vale.
I have been dancing with MCD for a REALLY long time and I still love it! I have learnt lots of skills and done lots of studying, like getting my foundation degree in advanced childcare learning and development, UDO Teaching exams, Makaton level 8 and BSL level 1. I speak welsh as my first language and dance as my second :’) I love teaching dance and hanging out with all the kids who teach me how to be cool and we all have fun dancing together. I have lots of experience with additional learning needs and disability and I am learning a lot about physio therapy techniques too, which is helping me to be even more inclusive in my dance classes. I have my level 3 in first aid and am always happy to chat about what needs you child might have. I have had lots of amazing one of a kind experiences with MCD, from amazing performances, meeting celebrities, developing skills and meeting friends that would become my family. I really hope that I can help future children to have some of the amazing experiences like I have had and I really hope, along with it being hard work, that it will also be a lot of fun!
My love for dance started when I took my first dance class at the age of 6 years old. Since then I have travelled all over the United Kingdom competing and performing, in venues such as the Royal Albert Hall and Blackpool Tower where I have won British and Welsh titles. I am trained in Latin American, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Ballet and Jazz. I graduated from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David with a 2:1 BA Hons Dance. I've had the pleasure of teaching at Motion Control Dance for 4 years now widening the knowledge of students and watching them grow both as dancers and wonderful young people.
Hello, I'm Jamie Berry aka B-boy Flexton, I have 14 years experience in teaching and performing . I trained at Swindon Dance, Circus Space and MHTC and was one of the UK’s first CAT scheme graduate from YDA Urban Course. I have performed with companies such as Boy Blue Ent, Avant Cymru and represented crews such as Grounded UK. I am an experienced Bboy, urban dancer and choreographer. I have performed professionally in music videos, movies and documentaries with artists such as KRS One, Method Man & Redman and the legendary Juice Crew to name just a few. I've won various awards for teaching breakin, including Wales Creative Tutor of the year in 2020. I have been an advocate for developing the first ever accreditation levels for UK Breakin and helping to grow the breakin scene in Wales for the next generation.
Tai Chi (Qigong Taiji) Shibashi is probably the most widely practiced form of Tai Chi outside of China today. Although aware of Tai Chi as a ‘martial art’ at the time, I didn’t take up Qigong Taiji Shibashi until 2012. About this time, I took early retirement and took a part time position with Age Connects as a community co-ordinator. I had the pleasure of setting up a couple of ageing well clubs for Age Connects and introduced Qigong Taiji, Scottish Dancing, Sumba, and even Belly Dancing as part of a range of physical activities for ageing well members. Being someone with poor timing and left/right coordination Qigong Taiji Shibashi was the kind of activity I had been looking for being both physically rewarding and mentally relaxing. Having been introduced to Tai Chi Shibashi I joined a Tai Chi ‘24 form’ club in Cardiff; ‘24 form’ has more of a continuous flowing movement compared with Shibashi and often practiced in small groups where room is not an issue. Tai Chi (Qigong Taiji) Shibashi not only has the benefit of being good for your health and wellbeing it can be practiced by anyone, at home, with friends or in a large group. The only barrier to practicing Tai Chi (Qigong Taiji) is the one you put in place.
I came into my dance journey through an untraditional way and late in life compared to some. I was into martial arts and parkour, and cirque du soleil. That transitioned into urban dance, and then contemporary dance. I believe all of these forms of movement formed my style. I was incredibly shy until college and never would've gone on stage or taught a class, but dance helped me be my true self.I utilise both emotional and physical power in my dance work. Since graduating with a BA Hons in dance from UWTSD Carmarthen in 2018, I have worked both as a contemporary dancer and choreographer in Wales and have worked with Joon Dance and Artscare. I have been blessed to work with some brilliant artists, which led me to becoming a teacher with MCD, and these years have shaped me into who I am today.
My journey began when I had joined Wendy Summerell School of Dance, where I completed all my RAD examinations successfully from Primary to grade 8. Then deciding to complete an extra examination for more qualifications and knowledge. Which then lead to starting street dance lessons from the age of 5 onwards. From having just a few dance lessons I was then asked to join a competition crew. I had left this company after many years and had joined Motion Control Dance, and joined Juvenile. As Juvenile began to fade out, the group was getting smaller, I didn’t want to stop dancing. I had taken it upon myself to earn a scholarship in Rubicon Dance. I have completed that year with a distinction. In September of 2021 Emma had offered me a job within Motion Control Dance. To help gain more knowledge to add on from my dance leaders course. I have gained many new skills and excited to see what the future holds as I inspire younger generations of dancers in the Vale.
I started dancing at a young age and joined MCD back in 2011 where I had the opportunity to be part of the street dance team competing across Wales with success. I trained up to become a dance leader achieving my Level 1 & 2 Dance Leaders qualification and have been supporting the under 6s and disability dance sessions for many years now. I enjoy being a role model for our younger dancers and get great pleasure in seeing them progress to their full potential.
I started getting into fitness about 5 years ago as nothing really got me interested or kept me going back. I found Turn’d Up fitness, and fell in love with the high energy, low lights, amazing work out and a different style of fitness class. I left feeling incredible . I soon after became a instructor and began my own classes of Turn’d up fitness which is a R&b and dance hall fitness class. Its a amazing work out, all over body toning. It’s the perfect way to get your sassy side out and feel body confident. We have so much fun getting fit!
I first started my work for Motion Control Dance in October 2020 as a Social Media Officer. Getting this role gave me the opportunity to work and gain experience in the area of work I wanted to go into at a time when there were very few opportunities for any type of work due to COVID and multiple lockdowns.
Now, I am still working for the charity as the Social Media Officer, but also as an Admin Assistant too, showing how this charity provides opportunities for young people. As the Social Media Officer, I plan, create and schedule regular content for social media platforms, promote classes, work on social media campaigns and analyse engagement statistics. As the Admin Assistant, I take registers, record payments, respond to enquiries and send emails and make sure the studio is running efficiently.
Whilst working for Motion Control Dance, I have been given the opportunity to do many different online courses to further develop my skills and have been supported the whole way through.
Now, I am still working for the charity as the Social Media Officer, but also as an Admin Assistant too, showing how this charity provides opportunities for young people. As the Social Media Officer, I plan, create and schedule regular content for social media platforms, promote classes, work on social media campaigns and analyse engagement statistics. As the Admin Assistant, I take registers, record payments, respond to enquiries and send emails and make sure the studio is running efficiently.
Whilst working for Motion Control Dance, I have been given the opportunity to do many different online courses to further develop my skills and have been supported the whole way through.