Ballet wars! Police called to settle row over girl’s dancing
aN eXtraorDINarY row over a four-year-old girl’s ballet ability has led to her father and her teacher reporting each other to the police.
Neil Marsh, 30, was not happy with his daughter Gabriela’s progress so he asked to observe one of her two weekly lessons at a dance school.
But her teacher Whanita la Bouchardiere refused – leading the father to write a scathing review of the school online and pull his daughter out of the classes.
the teacher then hit back – branding him a coward and a ‘stupid little man’ in a furious exchange of emails.
the row had to be settled by police, who told the teacher and parent not to contact each other again.
Gabriela’s family had been paying for lessons at the Danceworks studios in cheltenham – where Miss la Bouchardiere is principal – for more than 18 months.
Mr Marsh, a plumber, said: ‘We feel that since then she has not really progressed at all. I was paying about £180 a term for her lessons and I wanted to see how she danced during the classes.’
But the principal said she had a strict policy of allowing parents to attend only the last class of each term – a date Mr Marsh told her was not convenient as he had booked a family holiday to visit his partner Paulina Borowiec’s relatives.
Miss la Bouchardiere said it would be ‘disruptive’ if parents could come to watch any class, adding: ‘You will have to wait till the next watching week.’
Mr Marsh then wrote back to say she had an ‘ absolutely disgusting’ attitude to her customers and announced he would take his daughter out of the classes.
In reply, Miss la Bouchardiere criticised him for writing ‘totally unfounded, ridiculous and very hurtful’ comments on social media about the school. she said: ‘You stupid stupid little man ... you don’t know a good teacher when it’s right there in front of you!! You must be blind!
‘all this over not being allowed to watch your daughter ... unbelievable ... again it shows me you did not want to pay the fees and needed an excuse not to bring Gabriela back to dance ... sad and pathetic!
‘You are just a little sad, pathetic troll who cowardly [sic] uses the internet to vent your arguments, use other people to the detriment of your daughter.’
there was no love lost in the exchange of emails which followed, and the dance teacher took the matter to the police when she alleged Mr Marsh had gone to her parents’ house looking to speak to her. the father then made a complaint to the police about the teacher’s ‘aggressive’ emails.
speaking yesterday, Miss la Bouchardiere said she would have reacted differently had Mr Marsh ‘approached her in a nice way’. she said: ‘I think he is very much a man who wants to stamp his foot and get what he wants.
‘he thought he could bully me and push me over and he didn’t like the fact I said no. I consider he has harassed me with bad reviews – the only bad review we’ve had in 18 years.
‘My emails to him became stronger because I felt that he was out to sabotage my business and make a personal attack on myself.’
Gloucestershire Police confirmed the force received complaints from both the teacher and parent. a spokesman said the pair had been spoken to ‘ at length’, adding: ‘ Both parties have been told not to contact the other under any circumstances.’
‘You stupid, stupid little man’