TWO Beaconsfield High School pupils who have been dancing since they were aged just seven and 10 have starred in a new film about mental health - choreographed by a celebrated international dancing star.

Izzy Swain, Year 11 pupil, and Yasmin Noble, in Year 9, joined the Brendon Hansford Youth Dance Company at Pineapple Studios, Covent Garden when they were 13.

The dancing duo say they are “enormously proud” to have been involved in a dance film called Therapy, which was choreographed and directed by Brendon over a period of six months during the girls’ two-hour Saturday dance classes.

The film was released on Brendon’s website and social media channels on Friday and 16-year-old Izzy dances the starring role as the school girl suffering the stigma and loneliness attributed to deteriorating mental health.

She said: “Brendon’s classes are fun and nurturing; every dancer knows it’s ok to make mistakes, in fact Brendon advocates them saying it’s the only way to learn. “In September, I was incredibly proud to be chosen to play the main character in ‘Therapy’.

“I think the film really shows the isolation felt by those suffering with mental health issues and the school setting shows how commonplace these issues are. These issues are something we are all susceptible to.” Yasmin, 14, hopes the film will have the power to change people’s perception of mental health.

‘Therapy’ may have been an out-of-school project for Izzy and Yasmin, but Beaconsfield High head teacher, Rachel Smith, believes the film reflects the issues that many schools address and their Getting Life Ready (GLR) programme plays a key part in supporting her pupils. She said: “The issue of mental health, particularly for young people is an extremely important one.

“As a school, our role is not only supporting our students, but also teaching them to ride the ups and downs that life throws at them.

“This is where the school’s GLR programme comes in; the programme gives students the core skills for surviving and thriving in the real world.”