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I was trained from an early age at a full time private ballet school in Hertfordshire and then moved to the London College of Dance and Drama. The college was founded to train dance teachers professionally and was part of the Arts Educational Trust, under the patronage of Dame Beryl Grey. I was taught Cecchehtti, Imperial Society and RAD ballet, along with National (character), Greek, Natural Movement, Modern, Jazz, Historical Dance, Ballroom and Latin American. I am an Associate of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance and have Advanced Cecchetti, Modern and National qualifications. Cecchetti was an Italian dancer and teacher, who famously worked with Diaghilev the ‘Ballet Russe’ and taught the famous dancers, Anna Pavlova and Nijinsky. One of my original dance teachers was taught by Cecchetti himself.
I lived in Athens, Greece for three years as a dancer and teacher for one of the biggest ballet schools in the city. I performed in the theatre and did some film work. I returned to England and taught for Mavis Hoffman, a Cecchetti examiner for three years and then moved to Derby Academy run by Eve Leveaux, a former dancer with Ballet Rambert to teach ballet, modern and national.
Alongside that I taught at Loughborough University in the Dance Department, Trent College, Nottingham Girls High school where I taught a mixture of ballet and jazz. In 1997 I joined Ratcliffe College, Leicester where I was Head of Dance and Drama for 22 years. I also ran for twenty years, a summer drama workshop for over 60 children putting on a dance drama musical in a week.
I have choreographed many ballets, one of which was inspired by the music of Hildegarde of Bingham where my dancers performed at Winchester Cathedral and then most recently, a series of Nursery Rhyme stories with young children.
I have also worked with many Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and when living briefly in Guernsey choreographed ‘Fiddler on the Roof’, as well as performing a summer season of plays and Old Time Music Hall. I also have worked on ‘My Fair Lady’, The King and I’. I also do some work for Performing Stars and Sky Theatre at Melton Mowbray, where I teach drama and LAMDA. I have choreographed their ‘Phantom of the Opera’ and co-directed ‘West Side Story’ and ‘Hairspray’.
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