Whitstable dance teacher Deborah Capon has died after suffering a heart attack.

The 59-year-old taught thousands of children in Whitstable to dance over 40 years.

Her funeral is due to be held at the town’s All Saints’ Church next week.

Tributes have come from parents and former pupils who have sent cards to the Deborah Capon College in Castle Road.

Miss Capon’s husband and fellow teachers at the school declined to comment when approached by the Gazette although they did say the death was sudden.

Her death was announced by the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) – a dance exams board of which Miss Capon was chairman.

According to the group’s website, Miss Capon regularly lectured at the board’s headquarters in Chichester and helped many young dancers across the world.

Secretary Caroline Lavelle said: “Our heartfelt condolences are with her husband, family, friends and colleagues at this sorrowful time. Deborah was invited to become a member of the modern and tap theatre committee in 1998.

When modern and tap faculties were divided in 2002 she became vice-chairman of the tap faculty, a position she held until the recent elections when she was elected chairman.

“Deborah was also an enthusiastic supporter of the national faculty’s events for many years and was a member of the ISTD theatre faculty board. She will be hugely missed by so many.”

Trained by tap dancer Moyra Gay, she established her own junior dance school in
Whitstable in 1974 moving to its present home in Castle Road in 1978.

During that time she has choreographed for local festivals, school shows, pantomimes, cabarets and theatre groups and even presented her own charity show at the Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London.