Junior Summer School

Week 1:

Amy Hollins (Ballet and Group Dance)

Amy trained at the English National Ballet School where she graduated into the English National Ballet Company. Amy danced a variety of repertoire whilst in the company, including Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker, Coppélia, Swan Lake, Romeo & Juliet, Paquita, Raymonda, Rite of Spring, Facing Viv, Drink to me with thine eyes and created a role in Christopher Hampson’s ballet Trapeze.

Amy’s musical theatre credits in the west end include Christopher Wheeldon’s An American in Paris, Sinatra the Man and his Music, understudy Judy in Twyla Tharps’s production of Movin Out, understudy Meg Giry in Phantom of the Opera, Phantom 25^th Anniversary Concert, Le Vespre Sicilliennes (Royal Opera) and Ashley Page’s On The Town (Tokyo).

Film/Television credits include Walt Disney’s The Nutcracker and The Four Realms, Royal Variety Performance 2011,2012 & 2016 (ITV), Gigglebiz (CBBC), Concert for Diana with Take That (BBC).

Amy graduated from the Royal Academy of Dance Professional Dancers Teaching Course in 2018 and has since taught at London Studio Centre, Central School of Ballet Associates, The Royal Academy of Dance and as Ballet Mistress and Rehearsal Director for the London Children’s Ballet.

Amy is currently the 2^nd year ladies ballet tutor at the Central School of Ballet.

Belinda Roy (Creative)

Originally from Canterbury, Belinda graduated with a first-class BA (Hons) in Ballet Education from the Royal Academy of Dance in 2019. She also gained a Distinction in becoming a Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Dance and received the Iris Truscott Scholarship in her final year. Belinda then went on to complete an MA in Dance Performance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, whilst being a member of Transitions Dance Company. It was from this experience that she decided to combine both her teaching and performing career paths.

Belinda teaches ballet, contemporary and creative dance to a wide range of participants in private dance schools and community settings in and around London for organisations such as Rambert and the RAD. She is also a freelance contemporary dancer and has performed in stadium events, for television and theatres including the Royal Opera House.

Belinda’s experience of teaching culminates in fun, challenging and rewarding dance lessons, where the students will feel supported in a safe and positive environment.

Sonny Ward (Musical Theatre)

Sonny Ward is a dedicated dance educator and choreographer with over 15 years of experience training the next generation of performers. Specialising in jazz dance technique and musical theatre, he is particularly known for his expertise in Matt Mattox-based Isolation technique—a discipline he studied intensively for three years during his own professional training.

Sonny currently teaches across several prestigious institutions including Emil Dale Academy and Arts Ed School of Musical Theatre, where he helps students build the technical foundation and performance skills essential for a professional career. His long-standing teaching roles also include over 15 years at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and more than a decade at the Royal Academy of Dance, where he has contributed to both the RAD Dance School and international outreach programmes.

For eight years, Sonny served as Senior Company Leader of the RAD Jazz Company for Step Into Dance, where he led weekly company training and choreographed original work for performances staged across major London theatres. His previous teaching engagements span prestigious institutions such as The Royal Ballet School, The Place, London Vocational Ballet School (formerly Young Dancers Academy), and Hurtwood House. His international teaching credentials include classes and workshops in Singapore, Dubai, Luxembourg, and beyond.

Alongside his teaching, Sonny has built an extensive choreographic portfolio for both screen and stage. His commercial credits include dynamic campaigns for major leading brands such as Sainsbury’s, Littlewoods, Weetabix, and Asda, as well as large-scale flashmob for public events for Walkers Crisps and BBC’s The Rob Brydon Show. He has collaborated with leading production companies including Merman, Freud Communications, Moxie Pictures, Weilands, and AMV BBDO.

On stage, Sonny’s work has been showcased at high-profile events like Move It (Main Stage), West End Live (Trafalgar Square), The Lord Mayor’s Show, and Evening Standard’s Get Reading. His choreography has lit up renowned venues including Sadler’s Wells, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Lyric Theatre, and The Landmark Hotel. He also choreographed for the West Ham FC cheerleaders at Upton Park Stadium.

With a passion for inspiring and developing the next generation of performers, Sonny is known for setting high expectations while delivering high-energy, technically precise, and carefully structured training that emphasizes individual growth. His classes are both challenging and engaging, pushing students to develop artistically and technically within a supportive, student-cantered environment. This adaptive approach has helped countless dancers thrive and has launched many into successful and varied careers in the performing arts industry, including the West End, UK, and international tours.

Wendy Jardine (Pilates)

Since 2009, Wendy has taught Pilates to dancers. She creates and presents courses to ballet teachers in the principles of Pilates, too, so teachers can use the knowledge in their teaching.

Wendy is trained to Master Level and has been teaching Pilates since 2007. She uses Pilates to empower dancers in all of their movement. Pilates gives them the conscious awareness of their strengths and imbalances and equips them with the tools to self-care, rebalance and avoid injury. They enhance and improve their strength, mobility and flexibility, by knowing how and where every muscle is, and why each muscle group makes a move, big or small, or is a deep stabilising muscle. By isolating, engaging and feeling, which muscles are creating what, the dancers can consciously call upon them in their training and performance, which takes their work to another level. Within these sessions, which flow from one move to another, the dancers learn how to use their breath to stabilise, connect and relax. This tool enriches life skills, exam technique and is deeply calming.

When Wendy is not at the Academy, she teaches in West Dulwich and currently many sessions over Zoom. She has a forever-growing online library of over a hundred sessions www.pilates-instructor.net

Week 2:

Anna Forbes (Ballet and Group Dance)

Anna was born in Scotland and began dancing from the young age of two. She moved to England at 11 years old to attend The Royal Ballet School then later moved to Elmhurst School for Dance to complete her training.

During her performing career she was lucky enough to dance with some of the UK’s major ballet companies and also appear in London’s West End as Meg Giry in Phantom of the Opera and also the White Cat in CATS. Her passion for teaching has been the one constant throughout her performing career so in 2017 she decided to do her RAD teacher training qualification. Since then she has been teaching full-time at various locations around London and also opened her own school in 2019.

She loves working with children of all ages and is excited to meet everyone and teach at the RAD summer school this year.

Mark Allison (Ballet and Group Dance)

Mark is a Fellow of the ISTD’s Imperial Classical Ballet Faculty and has a BA in Professional Practice, (Dance). He has experience teaching across multiple sectors including vocational, and educational and has previously held the position of Head of Ballet within a Junior setting.

Mark also coaches new teachers on the Classical Ballet DDE course. As well as ballet, Mark has extensive experience in figure skating. He has regularly coached in the UK and overseas, particularly in Germany and the United States. Presently Mark is working alongside GB dance and free skate competitors. Last year Mark was thrilled to be offered a place on the Royal Ballet’s Vocational Teaching Diploma and is currently studying for his PGCE in preparation to move on to study a masters degree. Mark is currently a Ballet faculty member at Performers College as well as The Wilkes Academy.

Mark also teaches on the Centre of Advanced Training programme and is an Associate Dance Artist for the Royal Ballet’s Chance to Dance schools programme.

Kevin Young (Creative)

Kevin has toured the world performing for artists such as Cheryl Cole, Florence & the machine, Sophie Ellis Bextor and on TV shows such as X factor, Britain’s Got Talent, Dancing on Ice, and So You Think You Can Dance, to name a few.

His passion for choreography and teaching has enabled him to work in places such as Australia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and all over Europe. Kevin does a lot of teaching through the Royal Academy of Dance and is also the founder and principal of his own dance school in London, Young Performers Academy, where he teaches and passes on his knowledge to future dance professionals.

Karen Cadogan (Yoga)

Karen trained at the London College of Dance, graduating with a 1^st class teaching diploma. She toured with the Jiving Lindy Hoppers, in London, on TV, UK & internationally. Karen danced with BOP jazz theatre company, performed in several West End productions of The King & I and was the assistant choreographer to Susan Kikuchi at The Royal Albert Hall, among other engagements.

She has taught in traditional dance schools and vocational colleges, on summer schools and on choreography commissions. As Head of Dance in an Independent School for over 20 years, Karen devised and directed dance productions alongside teaching RAD Ballet, ISTD Modern, Jazz, and GCSE Dance, students successfully auditioned for vocational colleges.

Karen’s passion for movement, expression, and wellness found a natural expansion into the practice of yoga. Having experienced the sense of peace and the positive effects, she completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training in Vinyasa Flow, at Ashiyana, Goa 2016.

Yaw Anaafi-Darko (Street Dance)

Yaw has been passionately dancing and teaching since the age of 19. His competitive journey includes notable achievements such as competing in the UK Hip Hop Championships and various UDO competitions. In 2006, he secured 1st place at the Southern UDO Championships and went on to place 2nd at the World Championships.

Yaw’s performance career includes high-profile shows such as Move It, Dancers Delight, Breakin’ Convention, World of Dance, and Breakout. He has not only performed but has also played a pivotal role in choreographing many of these performances, often serving as the main choreographer.

Most recently, he choreographed and performed his Locking piece at the 2021 Dancers Delight. His group, Funk of the Future, also performed on the main stage at Move It Show for a number of consecutive years. In addition to his performance and choreography roles, Yaw has taught across numerous countries, including Spain, Italy, Greece, Germany, Denmark, Scotland, and Wales.

A seasoned judge, Yaw has extensive experience in evaluating dancers in competitions across the UK. His expertise in the field has earned him recognition, with nominations for Male Choreographer of the Year at the UK Dance Awards in both 2019 and 2023. The only locking teacher to be nominated for such an award.

Currently, Yaw teaches Locking at Ashley Banjo’s Diversity Studios and is the founder and leader of the Funk of the Future Training Academy in London. This academy is dedicated to teaching the technique and history of street dance, helping dancers understand the cultural significance behind the movement. Yaw also serves as the official host of British Dance Organisation street competitions throughout the UK. He is also a dance practitioner for Royal Academy of Dance.