Stepclever's Got Talent!

Clare Roberts has always had a passion for dancing - so it was only natural that she would set up her own business 'Dance Passion'. The 27-year-old professional dancer first opened up her Liverpool-based dance agency in 2007, providing dance training, choreography and performance to dance organisations and individuals of all ages, who love to dance.

"I started ballet dancing at the age of four," said Clare "and I later went on to learn Latin American. I have always been a dance enthusuiast and through my agency I am now able to pass on my enthusiasm and passion to others."

Clare, who has danced on the international stage and has represented England at a professional level, is now using her skills, expertise and passion to help other people achieve their dancing dreams. As a fully qualified dance teacher, prior to starting her own business Clare was employed at all-girls school Broughton Hall in Liverpool. She added, "it was a big decision to go self-employed, but i'm so glad I did as I am thoroughly enjoying working for myself."

Clare, who lives in north Liverpool, received support through the Stepclever programme and specialist support for women through enterprise agency Train 2000. "I have been really impressed with all the help and support I have received" said Claire "and with the Stepclever grant I was awarded I was able to finance my website, a new laptop and some advertising for my business. I have also attended a number of training courses through Train 2000 and have found them all to be extremely useful. Not only did the courses provide me with an excellent opportunity to learn all about the business side of things, but attending them has also enabled me to meet other women who are self-employed."

Clare has also joined the newly-formed Stepclever Women's Group, a network that has been set up by Train 2000 through the Stepclever programme, which enables self-employed businesswomen in the six Stepclever wards to meet on a monthly basis to share ideas, support one another and get advice from guest speakers.

Clare said "the Stepclever Women's Group is a real source of inspiration and information and I am particularly glad that this has been set up, as sometimes being self-employed you can feel on your own. I am so passionate about dancing and the work that I do, but the business side of things has been much more difficult for me, so the support of the women's group and the training sessions on areas such as Tax and National Insurance and PR have been invaluable to me."

At present Clare offers a wide variety of services including choreography and performance to theatres, Latin American dance classes for children, young people and adults as well as a 'wedding dance'service. "There are so many different reasons why people might want to learn to dance" explains Clare, "a lot of people only ever dance for the first time when they get married, so I decided to add to my services support for people with getting ready for their wedding dance."

Clare is extremely positive about the future of Dance Passion and believes that her business will grow from strength to strength. "I absolutely love what I do" she said, "I love being self-employed, am really busy at the moment and just seem to have endless enthusiasm for what I do."

For further information about Dance Passion please call Clare on 07751 240230 or visit her website www.dance-passion.co.uk