Practising routines in the playground and dashing to ballet lessons after school, a career in dance is what many young girls’ dreams are made of.
And for Sharon Gill, it is one that came true when she was just 19.
Now 44, Ms Gill has been teaching 30 dance classes a week in her home city of Aberdeen for the last 25 years.
An expert in the field – she was crowned Scottish champion in tap four times and twice in ballet – the mother-of-one now spends her days helping others hone their talents.
She said she started out on her career path from a very early age.
“I started dancing when I was three and when I turned 16 I already knew I wanted to teach it for a living, so I auditioned for a few colleges and secured a spot at what was at the time one of the best teaching courses,” she explained.
After graduating from the London College of Dance in 1990, Ms Gill landed a teaching job which brought her back home to the north-east.
She said: “I saw the advert for an assistant teacher at a school back home and when I went for the interview they said I could run the Westhill branch as the Sharon Gill School of Dance.
“When the owner decided to call it a day I took over and expanded my school.”
Ms Gill teaches a variety of classes every day from 4pm, and before she arrives at the studio she is at home preparing routines and sorting through all the paperwork involved in running a business.
“People ask me what my proper job is even though I spend eight hours a day on invoices and choreographing before going to class,” she said.
“It’s not just a case of turning up at the studio a few hours a night – there’s a lot of preparation involved and I although I work 10 hours a day I only really get paid for four.”
For Ms Gill, the real reward lies in the tremendous amount of job satisfaction she gets from the way she makes a living.
She said: “I’m doing something I love every day and it’s always different and it’s always a challenge.
“Of course it has its downsides but they are put aside when I see the children having a ball and doing well.”
And as she gears up for her 25th anniversary show, aptly named 25! The Time of my Life, Ms Gill is busier than ever.
She said: “We started thinking about ideas for the show in August and we thought the theme of 25 was the perfect way to celebrate 25 years in the business.
“It will be a real nostalgia trip for everyone as it features all the music from the last quarter of a century and some of my former pupils will even perform a reunion number.”
25! Time of My Life will run at Aberdeen Beach Ballroom from Thursday, June 25, to Saturday, June 27.
Tickets are available from the Aberdeen Box Office or 07856 466781.