Tutors for Making Connections: A Symposium for Dance Teachers

Dr Cathy Schofield BA, MSc, PhD

Introduction to Psychology for Dancers and Psychological Wellbeing for Dancers

Cathy has been a lecturer in sport and exercise psychology for over twenty years. She has been dancing for forty-five years, in styles including ballet, tap and salsa, as well as enjoying dancing in social contexts; specifically funk, jazz and northern soul.

Catherine Yoshimura

In Search of 'Plumb'— Living Consciously in our Bodies Both In and Out of the Studio

Catherine Yoshimura trained with Ellis-DuBoulay and the Foundation. She danced professionally with Ballet, Ballet International in London, Milwaukee Ballet, BalletMet, and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. She had the privilege to dance a wide range of classical roles as well as the works of Hans van Manen, George Balanchine, James Kudelka, and David Nixon.

Catherine refined her teaching skills by studying with Yoko Ichino from whom she gained a unique understanding of the classical technique relative to individual students’ needs. She became a full time teacher at the BalletMet Dance Academy and prepared Academy students to perform in both company and student productions.

Catherine is a certified Ashtanga Teacher at the 500-hour level, and has studied with Thomas Myers’ Anatomy Trains. She participated in the School’s first Teacher Seminar. In 2018, she presented the dance components of a Teacher Training Seminar in New Delhi that promoted gender equity utilising cricket motifs and dance - an initiative of the British Council, RAD and Marylebone Cricket Club.

Dennie Wilson BA (Hons), MA, AdvDip Coach

Developing and Engaging with Creativity through Choreographic Practice and The Principles, Practice and Practicalities of Coaching Dance and the Dancer

Originally a professional dancer and then creator, Dennie has worked all over the world with artists using a range of mediums including film, stop motion animation and algorithmic choreography, to create unique installation and theatre pieces. As a dance artist she worked extensively for and for 8 years was responsible for

1 developing and delivering the Vocational Contemporary Dance Curriculum at . Dennie joined the RAD Faculty of Education in 2012 after working on the Olympic and Paralympic Games. She is the Programme Manager for the PDPTC and PDTD, lecturer in Dance Teacher Education for Professional Dancers and teaches contemporary dance, choreography, music for the studio and stage and is a Practical Teaching Supervisor. Dennie is currently studying for a Professional Doctorate in Coaching Elite Performance. Her focus is the potentiality for coaching pedagogy as a way of directly empowering the dancer as independent decision maker, and indirectly engendering greater connectivity between dance and coaching pedagogy.

Fiona Brooker MA, LRAD

Silver Swans® Licensee Workshop

As Head of Teacher Education within the RAD’s Faculty of Education, Fiona works closely with the Director of Education and Faculty of Education Senior Management to provide strategic leadership and oversight of the Faculty of Education’s dance teacher training provision. Fiona also contributes to postgraduate, undergraduate and professional programmes in the Faculty where she supervises research projects and tutors in the areas of dance education, dance analysis and socio-cultural theory. Fiona has led Silver Swans® workshops both in the UK and Australia.

Hannah Bailes BA, MA, PGCE

Introduction to Teaching Musical Theatre Dance to Older Learners

Hannah is a community dance educator, dance teacher and dance artist. She gained a Performing Arts degree at St Martin's College, Lancaster, and a MA in Dance Studies at Trinity Laban. Hannah also qualified as a teacher of dance at Middlesex University. Her teaching practice spans 15 years and includes work within community settings, in primary and secondary education, and FE and HE. Hannah most recently visited the European Parliament to discuss Dance and Wellbeing in Mental Health, and is an ambassador for the Dance and Creative Wellness Foundation based in the Netherlands. Hannah also contributed to the Dance for Lifelong Wellbeing research and conference held at the Royal Academy of Dance in 2013. Hannah regularly performs a variety of dance styles at festivals and events all over Europe and the UK.

Imogen Knight BA (Hons), Dip RAD, ARAD, DDE, RAD RTS

Let’s Talk Pirouettes: Real World Experiences of the Journey from Fundamentals to Refined Artistry

Imogen trained at School and is now Principal of a large dance school in Cambridge, after spending 8 years living and teaching in Asia. She has wide experience teaching children and adults of all ages,

2 abilities and agendas. Imogen is an Approved Tutor for the RAD’s new Associate Teacher Award.

Lucy Start DTTLS

Introduction to Psychology for Dancers and Psychological Wellbeing for Dancers

Lucy Start is an ex-professional, classically trained dancer who retrained as a dance educator and has been teaching dance for the past fifteen years in the private and public sectors. As part of her professional career, she has developed courses, choreographed countless productions and lectured at Move It Dance Convention.

Dr Nico Kolokythas ASCC

Promoting Evidence-Based Teaching Practices in the Traditional Ballet Teaching Environments

Nico is an accredited coach from the UK Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA) and has over 15 years’ experience in the athletic development of adolescents in elite performance in a variety of sports (Judo, Netball, Basketball, Football, Taekwondo, and Tennis). He is a strength and conditioning coach for professional martial artists in Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts. Based at Elmhurst Ballet School, he completed a PhD in injuries and the adolescent ballet dancer and also works as a consultant for Birmingham Royal Ballet. As part of his studies, he led randomised controlled trials in injury prevention in dance and has now developed an injury prevention intervention called “11+Dance”. Nico also specialises in the rehabilitation of overuse injuries in adolescents who are training in different sports at pre-professional level. Since 2014, Nico has been a visiting lecturer at the University of Wolverhampton, in Science in Coaching, Motor Learning & Control and on the MSc in Dance Science.

Richard Thom BA (Hons), DChA, FCA, FRAD

Your Dance Teaching Career: Considerations and Contemplations and Practices and Tips for a Successful Dance Teaching Business

Following his initial training in business, finance and accountancy, Richard worked in a number of sectors all over the world. He became Director of Finance and Administration at the Royal Academy of Dance in 1988, a position he held for 27 years.

During this role, he engaged in delivering professional development to students, teachers and members through business courses, lectures and conferences. He wrote a booklet “From Ballet to Business”, published articles

3 in Dance Gazette, Dancing Times and the business press. He also developed and wrote a series of membership Business Briefings.

He has since undertaken business analysis consultancy work for dance organisations, lectured dance students and teachers, and written and published Dance into Business ®.

Richard is a Trustee of the Cecchetti Society Trust and a Director of the Dancers Pension Scheme.

Dr Roberta Botti MA, ARAD, RAD RTS

Foundations and Progressions of Technique

Roberta started classical ballet training at age six. In 2001, she achieved her Teaching Certificate with Distinction and continued to develop her teaching knowledge, focussing on music theory for dance and character dance. Between 2002 and 2006, Roberta worked as an assistant choreographer for the company of the Classical Ballet Association, under the direction of Maurizio Bellezza.

She has trained in the Vaganova method in St. Petersburg, giving her a deeper insight into teaching ballet at pre-professional level, through the analysis of other methodologies.

Roberta is now a freelance teacher and collaborates with a number of schools in Italy and around the world. Many of Roberta’s students have received excellent results and won many prizes and awards. She is an official tutor for the Royal Academy of Dance, training both students and teachers, a Silver Swans Licensee, Progressing Ballet Technique certified teacher and Pilates Matwork and Medibow Instructor.

In 2010, she was invited to Washington to teach at the Metropolitan Fine Arts Centre Summer School.

Paul Doyle RTS, LISTD, RAD Examiner

Teaching Beyond The Syllabus

Paul currently works as a Lecturer in Dance Education for the RAD’s Faculty of Education. As well as lecturing in dance education, Paul is the RAD Studies Manager, overseeing the RAD syllabi across all programmes offered by the FoE. Paul previously worked as a freelance ballet teacher across Ireland and England. He has tutored on CPD courses for the RAD and run vocational comprehensive syllabus courses across the UK. Paul is currently studying an MSc in Sport and Exercise Science through the University of Roehampton.

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Pauline Withers MA

Grades 4 and 5: Focus on Character

Pauline trained at the Stella Mann School in London and upon graduation; she became responsible for both modern theatre and national vocational training within the school.

She has taught on the Professional Dancers Teaching Diploma and the LRAD programme at the RAD. She has also taught at summer schools in the UK and Europe and been both a tutor and mentor for the Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies.

She has run her own school in London and the New Forest and is currently an RAD examiner in addition to tutoring and teaching on a freelance basis.

Suzanne Astley AISTD, LBBO, DIP Arts, BA Hons, QTS, MA

Being Inclusive: Practical Approaches to Teaching Dance to Older Learners with Neurological Conditions

Suzanne is a Somatic Movement Therapist and Dance Artist. Her teaching career spans 30 years and she has developed her expertise through work in community settings, primary and secondary education, Further and Higher Education. Suzanne recently worked as lead artist with Pioneer Projects in Yorkshire, Neuro Drop-in Centre, Lancaster and Parkinson’s UK, supporting and facilitating projects with people living with dementia, Parkinson's and other neurological conditions. She was involved in an innovative project called ‘Bridging the Gap’ (Pioneer Projects); leading workshops to train care home activity workers.

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