Nadine Senior is the only daughter of a Scarborough car mechanic, Bill, and his wife, Vera, who ran a boarding house.

After gaining a qualification in teaching, she began her career as a physical education instructor and eventually got a job at the then recently renamed Harehills Middle School, where Jack Bramwell was head.

Mr Bramwell decided to make dance compulsory for boys and girls – and a dance school was born.

"Jack knew the benefits of it. He could see the creative drive and discipline it gave young people," said Nadine.

"It quickly became evident how much the boys liked it when they began turning up for the girls' classes as well. A lot of pupils from Harehills went on to make dance their careers. At that time, the only option for kids was to go to London and that was a big emotional jump to make at 16."

It was the Gulbenkian Foundation and Leeds City Council which helped to bring about the creation of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, which came to be known in dance circles simply as 'the Northern' and Mrs Senior was asked to be principal in 1984, a job she did until 2001.

Now retired, she is an avid painter and serial lunchtime socialiser who is fond of travel, especially to Paris. She has one son, Gareth and two grandchildren, a boy and a girl.

My first job was teaching PE at Buttershaw Comprehensive, Bradford. I was 21, not much older than the students. It was a great training ground and I stayed there about three years, then went to Intake High for another three.

The one thing I could not live without is my friends. I spend more and more time with them.

I am most proud of my years at Harehills. It was a very happy school and a very rewarding place to work. The children were brilliant, very responsive. Harehills was the catalyst for the whole thing. It was the achievements of the youngsters there that brought it to the attention of the founders and the dance world at large. I remember one 12-year-old who choreographed a dance based on Dante's Inferno to Verdi's Requiem, which meant he had not only read that book but understood it and chosen a piece of classical music to go with it. Businesses are always saying they want creative thinkers and this is a good example of how dance was giving kids that creativity.

As cities go, Leeds is probably one of the best. It has got a very strong art programmes, which I particularly like. The city council has a commitment to the arts and I think that's important.

To relax I paint. I started off with watercolours and then went to acrylics and now I'm painting with oils. I went from working 12-hour days seven days a week and now I'm having me-time. I paint, I go out for lunch and I go on holiday. I always seem to be busy, although I don't quite know how or why. I am also very fond of the Sacré Coeur in Paris. I go there frequently. I like the French lifestyle. I go to Nice as well and I love visiting art galleries and museums, the bars and coffee houses.

I had a marvellous childhood. Scarborough was a great place to grow up, by the sea. I remember swimming the Castle Foot when I was about 15, it was quite a feat.

I think the best piece of advice I ever got was from an ex-colleague when I was a young teacher. She said respect the children and they will respect you. Either you have control or not and if you haven't, the kids can smell it a mile off.

I don't really have a philosophy, other than to play it by ear.


Favourite things...


Favourite food: roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.

Favourite programme: anything on the arts.

Favourite author: Jane Austen.

Favourite actor: David Jason – I like everything he does.

Star sign: Libra.