Donna Maria’s World
Donna Maria’s World
Donna Maria’s World -
The dynamic and ever enthusiastic Donna Maria has had a diverse career spanning 40 years in advertising, promotions, launches, hosting, fashion, stage, TV, parades and special events, from planning to production and performance to choreography and direction.
Artistic director, choreographer, author, dancer/performer, has run her own Company since she was 15. She started her career with staging and choreography for London Fashion Week fashion shows. She also worked in Advertising for many years and at the same time started her own successful theatre and dance company being commissioned by clients such as Walt Disney Corporation.
Donna Maria was introduced to Maypole dancing as a child by her Mother, Rose, also a professional dancer, who was her whole inspiration. In 1978 the Regent Street Association commissioned Donna to produce a Maypole show for the first official May Day bank holiday to be performed in Golden Square, and it was a great success. Donna Maria’s Maypole then appeared at Westminster Abbey for the next 19 years whilst being commissioned for many major and prestigious events since then.
Since that day Donna follows in her mother Rose’s footsteps, dancing the traditional
English Maypole. Rose’s passion and love for the Maypole has been passed on to Donna
who now champions her own multi-
In 2004 she was awarded the contract as Maypole consultant for England by Beacon Millennium working with the English Tourist Board when she ran the Maypole side of Mayfayres Day with the East Midlands Development Agency. Where Donna set up Maypole performances in 30 towns, training thousands of children in the process.
She has won many awards for her hard work and dedication including the Westminster
Ribbon of Honour, the David Dimbleby ACYC award for 25 years of voluntary youth work
and she has been awarded the status of “angel” by Fight for Life. Donna is legendary
for her charity work in London including dancing a 30 hour world record non-
Even though Donna has such a busy life style she still manages to find the time to travel to her second home of 30+ years in Spain. In 1982 she was asked to take in the two big fiestas, Moors and Christians in July as the Golden Princess and the Cabalgata in September as the English Ballerina and she still participates to this very day. Her annual visits are much treasured and looked forward to by the local people who have a great love for her.
She has been described there as a “dancing legend”.
Donna says “I always get pleasure in making others happy and this is reflected in my performance”
People who have met Donna have said “she is unique and an inspiration”.
Donna Maria runs the multi award winning Donna Maria’s World. The Company first came to life before 1970 and the first major special event undertaken was the 25th anniversary of VE day. Since then the Company has gone from strength to strength through the 50th anniversary celebrations of VE day and on past the 60th. That first VE day was followed by staging performances for Capital Radio including Venture Day to audiences of hundreds of thousands each year. She has taken part in the Silver, Gold, Diamond and Platinum Queen's Jubilee celebrations.
During the Winter the Company presents Christmas shows featuring Miss Christmas at Christmas lights switch ons, parades and special events.
In 1978 the Regent Street Association commissioned Donna Maria to produce a Maypole performance for an event in Golden Square celebrating the first official Mayday bank holiday in the UK. Donna Maria took the elements of her review shows and added them to the traditional moves of the Maypole dance. It was totally different to any Maypole performance before. Tourists from all over the world have represented their country on Donna Maria’s Maypole Spectacular, as the performance began to be known.
Donna Maria’s Maypole has been performed thousands of times at hundreds of venues to over 2 million people including TV shows such as Blue Peter, SMTVLive (Ant and Dec), Capital Woman, GMTV and the ONE Show.
The event worked so well that the Company now specializes in staging spectacular Maypole shows all through the Summer season from April to September.
The Maypole works on several levels, from training with workshops, to fun with team building through to prestige events like the May Ball at the Lansdowne club in Mayfair.
LONGDANCE