York School of Dance and Drama celebrates its 30th anniversary with a new show.

IT began 30 years ago when three small children knocked on Lesley Ann Eden's door, begging her to teach them dancing and acting.

"I couldn't refuse," she recalls. "It was not what I had envisaged or planned, having just returned from India with my new, tiny baby and a stage career pending, but their fresh expectant faces, full of excitement and wonder, made me accept their unexpected challenge."

Lesley set up the York School of Dance and Drama, and this weekend she celebrates the school's 30th anniversary by presenting Time Bandits at the Grand Opera House.

"The school is a thriving community today, having nurtured hundreds of children in their thirst for knowledge in the performing arts. I now have the pleasure and pride of teaching the children of children who were the founder pupils, and in some cases their grandchildren," says Lesley.

Time Bandits will be a performance in Lesley's mould: a new choreodrama - a term she coined - that bears testimony to the school's motto of Nullus Limos, No Limits.

"It's called Time Bandits because the show deals with aspects of magic, and it's roughly about children who wish upon thunder, and each time they wish, the thunder takes them to a new zone where they experience all sorts of different lessons," Lesley says. "They learn that magic is neither good nor bad; it's how you use it."

The title also affords other opportunities. "In this show, we steal into other people's time and we take a look at different aspects of life, and because the time zones are topsy-turvy everything is turned upside down.

"By dipping in and out of time, we can also show different aspects of dance from Italy, Greece, North America and Africa, and there's even a Chinese dragon in the story."

Colourful characters abound in Time Bandits in a struggle between good and evil controlled by the Grand Wizard of the Universe, a role performed by professional actor Thomas Frere. "I get to play Her Lowness; she's a naughty girl, wonderfully mischievous, and I love it!" says Lesley. "She's fighting for control with Rosie Rowley's Gairy Fodmother - yes, not the Fairy Godmother - and her assistant, Sally Miller's Twinkle Toes."

The Cosmos Jugglers, alias Jim and Anna Semlyen, will feature in the show, along with Lesley's choreographic innovations, gaucho rope work and martial art stick fighting. Heartbeat star Derek Fowlds, the school's patron, will be there too. "All the children will be presented with special anniversary medals by Derek, and he'll come on at the end to say how fantastic we are!" says Lesley, bursting into laughter.

Amid the laughter, she is passionate about the power of dance. "The thing about dance is that it encompasses body and mind and spirit all at the same time, and what else does that?

"It's also a challenge to me because, working on my doctorate, it's my job to produce a new vocabulary of physical language, so dance is intellectually demanding as well as physically," says Lesley.

"I've already created junction jazz and now I'm doing power moves, where my research shows that certain moves can create a feeling of well being. This goes back to man's need to express himself through movement, and originally Mexican sorcerers used it for healing purposes and now I'm helping people to feel good."

Lesley's pursuit of new expression in dance and drama will continue with her establishment of the newly opened Jorvik Arts Academy in York. "This is for the older students who wish to explore art, dance, drama and music within the expressive arts arena," she says. "My philosophy is that in our dreams our skills and performance talents are limitless, and if we can make our dreams reality, our own joy will be limitless, as will that of others who share our dreams."

York School of Dance and Drama presents Time Bandits, Grand Opera House, York, Sunday, 2pm and 7pm. Tickets: £12, £10; ring 0870 606 3590.

Charles Hutchinson

Updated: 16:33 Thursday, April 21, 2005