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Raise Your Game: How did you start in dancing?

Sarah Toner: When I was three-years-old I was obsessed with ballet. I went to a local dance school, and then an Arts Educational School, in Tring Park in Hertfordshire, until I was 16-years-old.

I danced in Portugal for the National Ballet, in the London City Ballet and then I went freelance and even toured with the Pet Shop Boys! I also went into modelling, theatre and choreographed a few fashion shoots.

Whilst performing in a theatre show at the Turtle Key Arts Centre in Fulham, Sir Kenneth Macmillan, who was the resident choreographer of The Royal Ballet, watched the show and invited me to audition for Saddlers Wells. So I went full circle from ballet, jazz, pop all the way back to ballet again.

I finished my dancing career in New York, had my three children and started teaching full time. My forte has always been teaching teenagers and adults and I had no idea just how well my classes would take off, but 2009 has been unbelievable.

RYG: Can you explain the types of classes that you teach?

ST: I run teenage ballet classes, which also involves teaching choreography. I choose different pieces of music and we start off a routine. This allows young people to work as a team and everyone is the same.

I also run a class called 'Fabulous in High Heels' which works on adjusting any bad habits in your posture as well as building confidence.

It's never too late to change bad habits. This class is very much about posture correction and it does make a difference. The exercises are easy, you can do them in the office or on the bus. You've just got to be prepared to work at it.

RYG: What inspired you to teach other people how to walk?

ST: Bad posture and issues such as the lack of exercise in schools have always bothered me. Children from the age of five start sitting at desks and start to learn bad habits.

One day I was on my lunch break just observing people. I was watching all these stunning women coming out of their offices wearing beautiful clothes, beautiful shoes, straight legs, neck forwards and I found myself just wanting to go up to them and offer advice to help their posture. I realised that I could help others in this way and formatted my class around this idea.

I started running the class and the interest just spread. Lots of people were emailing me afterwards saying that they learnt so much, urging me to write a manual showing all the exercises.

I began by drawing stick figures, which is how I always express my ideas, and I happened to meet the lovely Ivana Nohel, an illustrator. She thought that my little stick people were so expressive that she translated them into proper drawings, and that's how the book came around.

RYG: How do you start teaching someone to walk?

ST: I actually start with a little foot care programme and foot massage. This allows us to warm up the feet, get the circulation going and gives us time to get to know each other releasing tension.

We then move on to ankle rotations and metatarsal exercises to strengthen the ankle. We also use the ballet bar to do Tondu ballet exercises and rises. This enables you to hold yourself in high heel position very comfortably. The shoe then becomes an accessory and not the object that's holding you up.

This demi-pointe position is the strongest point of power in the body, so it's a position of strength literally. You might not necessarily be the most confident person, but if your posture is good, you will reflect a confidence which will certainly help you to get that job or that interview and feel better in yourself.

RYG: When looking for really strong women and role models we interviewed Davina McCall and she said that for a long time she struggled with her weight and she's really having to try hard, but she also said that it's really important to carry yourself with pride.

ST: Exactly. Part of standing well and learning good deportment is just respecting yourself and your body. It's not about diets or weight loss, you don't need to punish yourself. It's about being in control of you and being happy in your skin. We all know that we shouldn't eat or drink too much, but if we have it in moderation then you can enjoy your body, not starve it.

In the 1950's you would have had deportment classes, so now I've found a really modern way to do that. Some people find the idea of someone staring at them whilst walking in heels as intimidating and prefer to be taught privately. However other people, especially young people, prefer a group setting because they find it more fun, they get to share stories and everybody relaxes.