Miss Jenna Crescenzo – Principal & Founder
Miss Jenna’s dancing journey began at the tender age of three, sparked by a very specific dream: she desperately wanted a “white fing”—her toddler translation for a tutu. That early wish grew into a lifelong dedication to the performing arts.
Performance and pedagogy are truly in her blood; Miss Jenna and her sister, Miss Carys, come from a prominent theatrical family that includes the legendary late actor Richard Burton.
Over a Decade of Leadership: The ESDS Journey
For the past 13 years, Miss Jenna has been the proud Principal of East Sussex Dance Studios. Watching the school evolve has been an absolutely incredible journey. ESDS famously started with just 13 students in the middle of a field; today, it has grown into one of the top-performing, highly renowned dance schools in East Sussex.
Head of Ballet & Choreography
Whilst she is the active Principal of ESDS, her main role and core focus at the school is serving as the Head of Ballet. Shaping beautiful technique, discipline, and classical foundations is her primary job and true passion. In addition to leading the ballet department, she teaches across all genres of dance and channels her industry experience into creating award-winning, dynamic choreography for our competitive ESDS team. [1]
Why ESDS is Unique?: Our Dance Family
What truly makes East Sussex Dance Studios so unique is the unique dance family environment Miss Jenna has built from the ground up. She loves and nurtures all of her students as if they were her very own children. This deep care, warmth, and mutual support are the exact reasons why our dancers are so incredibly happy, and why they choose to spend the vast majority of their spare time at the studios.
Early Training & West End Debut
Before building ESDS, Miss Jenna initially trained at the Hampshire Academy until the age of 11, studying Ballet, Modern, Tap, National, Greek, Drama, and Singing. She was an avid festival competitor, winning the All-England Finals multiple times and becoming a UK Champion.
Her talent was quickly recognised on a national level:
- Age 8: Accepted into the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School and Agency, securing roles in West End shows, television adverts, and major TV series—most notably Moll Flanders starring Daniel Craig and Alex Kingston.
- Age 8: Accepted into The Royal Ballet School Junior Associates.
- Age 9: Made her West End debut in Les Misérables at the Palace Theatre, London. Miss Jenna made history as the first-ever Little Éponine to step into the role of Little Cosette with just 10 minutes’ notice. It was during this thrilling performance that she discovered her true passion and knew she wanted to be in show business forever.
- Age 10: Became the youngest child ever accepted into the prestigious National Youth Music Theatre (NYMT). She performed across the UK in productions like Bugsy Malone, The Wizard of Oz, and Oklahoma!, sharing the stage with fellow castmates who went on to become household names, including Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot), Sheridan Smith, Matt Lucas, and Oliver Tompsett.
Elite Vocational Education & Professional Career
At age 11, Miss Jenna was accepted into The Royal Ballet Lower School (White Lodge) and won a fully funded government scholarship to train at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts. At 16, she secured a fully funded DaDA Scholarship to the Northern Ballet School, graduating with a Professional Diploma with Honours.
Following her training, Miss Jenna enjoyed a vibrant 10-year career as a professional performer. Her extensive credits span West End productions, UK and Italian tours, pantomimes, television appearances, and international cruise ships. The absolute highlight of her performance career was playing “Frenchy” in the European Tour of Grease. [1]
After a decade on stage, Miss Jenna transitioned her wealth of industry knowledge into teaching, attending Bird College to gain her formal teaching qualifications under the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD). Today, she uses that exact expertise to mold the next generation of beautiful, happy dancers.
When she isn’t at the studio, Jenna is deeply dedicated to her family and her husband, Gianluca. Together, they are the proud parents of two young sons, Henry and Jasper.