A public row over financial practices at the National Dance Foundation continued last night as former members of the board claimed not enough money was reaching students or dance schools.

Yesterday The Royal Gazette revealed that five prominent members of the dance community resigned from NDF Board in December amid concerns over financial and budgetary practices.

Among those who resigned were Louise Jackson, Barbara Frith and Conchita Ming — founders of the NDFs predecessor, the National Dance Theatre. Dance school owners Jeanne Legere and Lizz Pimentel also quit. Mrs. Legere said despite other board members backing the administrators in a meeting on Wednesday evening the group could not support the charity or its upcoming gala.

In particular the former board members were frustrated over staff salaries totalling $190,000 for the three administrators.

Mrs. Legere said: “We think their salaries are far too high and the money should be spent on students, not large salaries.

“These people are not running a full time charity like others on the Island, there are only a few programmes and one event a year put on by the charity.”

Mrs. Legere added: “It is a part time programme so for anyone to be making as much as they are making is ludicrous. This is not a full time charity. This money could be better spent.”

Mrs. Legere also said the group was concerned about the “extensive costs of entering into a long-term relationship” with the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) and felt that scholarships should not be limited to students attending ABT programmes.

She claimed: “A lot of money is being raised across the Island for dance yet students are not receiving it. The charity is also spending thousands on being allowed to use the ABT logos when we could just bring down more teachers or reduce the fees for the programme.

“The thousands that are being raised could go elsewhere. We could be sending students to summer programmes abroad that aren’t ABT and help with their university tuition.

“We have students who are training to become professionals and they aren’t getting scholarships.”

Dance school owner Lizz Pimentel said: “We are the bloody, sweat and tears of dance on the Island. We are training students day in and day out but are not given the credit we deserve and acknowledgement that we deserve. We are now unable to go to private donors to raise funds for our schools because donors have already given money to the National Dance Foundation and believe that the money is reaching us.

“All the glory ends up going to foundation and we are left with the hardships of training a dancer.”

A statement from the NDF Board yesterday said: “The Board of the National Dance Foundation is well aware of the roles and responsibilities, as well as the day-to-day requirements, of the staff and supports the staffing levels. We will have to agree to disagree on this issue.”

A spokeswoman for the charity said scholarships had been given to graduates of In Motion, United Dance Productions and Somerset School of Dancing to study overseas and that in 18 months the charity had awarded $150,000 in scholarships and bursaries to students at all five schools on the Island.

She added that during meetings held over the past few weeks the board had agreed to review the scholarship programme to make sure it was meeting the needs of the dancers. The NDFB is a charity that aims to promote excellence in dance and partners with the American Ballet Theatre to hold intensive summer programmes and master classes throughout the year.