Jill Stew dies aged 70 (From Witney Gazette)

Jill Stew dies aged 70

9:00am Wednesday 29th November 2006 in Witney By Rosalind Miles

A WELL-KNOWN Witney dance teacher has died.

Jill Stew, who ran the Jill Stew School of Dance, died last Friday, aged 70, after becoming ill with a second breast cancer last summer.

She became a dance teacher in the late 70s, when she started teaching ten pupils in Ceewood Hall and other community halls. In 1991, she opened her own dance studio in an old blanket warehouse, which was converted by a team of parents.

The school now has 250 students, and Mrs Stew's pupils have gone to study at the Royal Academy and at the English National Ballet School. Two of her former students have starred in films as dancers, in Phantom of the Opera and in Mrs Henderson Presents.

She was born in Abingdon, and lived in Ducklington Lane, Witney, with her husband, David. She had two children, Tim and Joanna, and two grandchildren.

Mr Stew said: "Her school was not just for talented pupils. She took just as much pleasure from the improvement of untalented as the talented.

"There must be hundreds of old students out there who stand a little straighter and walk a little taller because of her.

"The school will continue, and will be run by two principal teachers, who were trained by her and know her standards, and so will maintain traditions. She was a tyrant. She had high standards, she was a perfectionist in dance and in her ordinary life. She helped students to set up their own high standards in life.

"Her pupils knew she would always support them. She was a good listener, and she would be there for them when they wanted to pour out their troubles in her office."

Isabelle Spencer, of the Witney Dramatic Society, said: "She was a promising actress before she gave up to concentrate on dancing.

"She was very strict disciplinarian. She produced the most wonderful students, and I think she gave Witney something it didn't quite appreciate.

"Dance was her passion, and she demanded an exactness. You couldn't be almost on the beat, you had to be on the beat. She was a high priestess of dance. Many young girls have got a lot to be grateful to her for. Some went on to have professional careers. She had an exuberant personality. She could, like all of us, be frightening when she was angry."

Amy Lawson trained with Mrs Stew for ten years, and is a professional dancer.

Her mother, Carol Lawson, said: "Jill was an inspiration to us all. Her steadfastness for perfection helped to shape many young lives, giving them the chance to experience the wonderful world of dance."

Nicky Monk, mother of pupil Lizzie, said: "She was a lovely, lovely lady. She got such a thrill out of seeing her pupils work so hard and enjoy it so much.

"She worked day in day out. She was very dedicated. She would bend over backwards for her students.

"She loved them all, and was so proud of them. They have a huge respect for her.

"They all will miss her so much, they along with parents will be brokenhearted. It has hit us hard.

"We are devastated."