The Bedells Bursary 2026

Chan Hon Goh CM, D.Litt

Chan Hon Goh is a distinguished Canadian ballet leader whose career reflects a rare synthesis of artistic excellence and thoughtful leadership. A former Principal Dancer with the National Ballet of Canada, she was the first dancer of Chinese heritage to attain this rank, performing leading roles across the classical repertoire and touring internationally with critical acclaim.

Her early training was marked by exceptional achievement. She earned the highest standing in all Royal Academy of Dance vocational examinations and was awarded the Solo Seal. In 1988, she was a Silver Medallist at the Genée International Ballet Competition and was also recognized at the Prix de Lausanne, reflecting a foundation of discipline and excellence that continues to inform her work.

She is now General and Artistic Director of Goh Ballet Academy Canada, where she has strengthened training standards while expanding national and international pathways for emerging artists. Under her direction, graduates have entered leading companies worldwide, reflecting a disciplined and globally aligned approach to professional formation.

Her leadership extends into the broader cultural sector as a founding member of the Vancouver Arts and Culture Policy Council, contributing to long-term thinking on arts infrastructure, access, and sustainability. She is regularly invited to serve on international juries where she supports the cultivation of artistic standards on a global stage.
Ms. Goh was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honours, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to ballet as both an artist and a leader, and for her sustained commitment to the development of future generations of dancers. She has also received national and civic honours acknowledging her enduring impact on Canada’s cultural landscape.

With a perspective shaped by performance, education, and governance, she brings a considered and principled voice to leadership. Her work reflects a deep respect for tradition, balanced with a clear view toward the future, supporting the advancement of dance education with integrity, rigour, and global relevance.

Shevelle Dynott MBE

Shevelle Dynott is a distinguished dance artist, choreographer, and cultural ambassador whose career spans performance, education, and international outreach. A former artist of the The English National Ballet, he is recognised for his compelling stage presence, notably performing the Mouse King in The Nutcracker and the Moor in  Petrushka.

His early talent was identified through The Royal Ballet’s Chance to Dance programme, leading to formal training at the Royal Ballet School from 1997 to 2005. Alongside his performing career, he has remained deeply committed to widening access to the arts, contributing to national outreach initiatives and youth development programmes.

Shevelle’s work extends beyond the stage into screen and cultural platforms. He has appeared in Netflix’s Bridgerton, collaborated with leading photographers including David LaChapelle and Rankin, and performed at internationally renowned venues and festivals such as Glastonbury Festival, the Arena di Verona, and with the Berlin Philharmonic.

A dedicated educator and mentor, he has taught and coached for productions including The Lion King, and has worked with institutions and students across the UK and internationally. His global outreach includes leading workshops in the Seychelles in partnership with the British High Commission, impacting young performers through sustained engagement from 2022 to 2024.

In recognition of his influence and leadership, Shevelle was appointed Patron of All England Dance in 2022, named a 40×40 Future Leader by the Black Cultural Archives, and awarded the Freedom of the City of London in 2024. His cultural significance has also been acknowledged by the National Portrait Gallery, where he is included in its permanent archive through the work of Simon Frederick.

Shevelle was awarded an MBE in June 2026. Through a career that bridges performance excellence, education, and social impact, Shevelle continues to champion access, representation, and innovation within the arts.

Thérèse Cantine ARAD (Dip. PDTC)

Thérèse Cantine was born in Woodstock, New York, USA and now holds dual citizenship. She trained at the Royal Ballet School and Rambert School of Ballet, and upon graduating, danced for six years in Germany, the last three as a soloist in Essen. On returning to England she joined Northern Ballet Theatre as a Soloist. She then retrained as a teacher, graduating from the Royal Academy of Dance in 1979.

Thérèse’s first full-time teaching post was at Elmhurst Ballet School, where she later became Deputy Head of Dance. In 1982, she joined the staff at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, becoming Deputy Artistic Director until summer 2007. She has also taught at many of the leading Ballet Schools in London.

Now as a freelance teacher and lecturer, Thérèse continues to teach on many international summer schools and courses throughout the world and has been a consultant for the CDMT since 2011. For six years from 2009 to 2014, she taught extensively on the RAD’s PDTD and from 2009-2020, she also taught on the RAD’s LRAD each year. She was on the Board of Trustees for the Royal Academy of Dance from 2012- 2023.

Thérèse has been a Tutor and Examiner for the Royal Academy of Dance from 1992 and was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Dance in 2025.

Leanne Cope

Leanne was born in Bath and started dancing aged 5, at her local dancing school Dorothy Colebornes School of Dance. She trained at The Royal Ballet School lower and upper school and joined The Royal Ballet Company in 2003. Whilst there she danced in all the classic repertoire and created roles in ballets choreographed by Liam Scarlett, Christopher Wheeldon, Jonathan Watkins and Wayne McGregor.

In 2014 she took a sabbatical from The Royal Ballet to create the role of Lise Dassin in the four-time Tony winning musical An American in Paris on Broadway for which she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award and a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, and won The Astaire award for The Best Female Dancer on Broadway. She then revived the role and made her debut in London’s West End.

Leanne currently teaches at The Royal Ballet School. 

Darren Parish PDTD, RAD, RADRTS, DPBMN, NFSH, Dip

Darren trained with Jennifer Johnson before studying at The Australian Ballet School. On graduating he enjoyed a successful career of 19 years as a Senior Artist and Soloist with Queensland Ballet, Dortmunder Ballet, Bonner Ballet, Basel Ballet, Gothenburg Ballet, Royal NZ Ballet, English National Ballet, Guest Arena di Verona and Scottish Ballet.

He was nominated as Young Australian of the Year (Arts) 1988, received the Cadbury Arts Award 1991, Male Dancer of the Year (Sweden) 1995, and Dance Critics Award (Sweden) 1996.

As guest Notator for The Royal Ballet 2006-09, he collaborated on their production of Sleeping Beauty and three pieces by Wayne Macgregor; Chroma, Nimbus and Infra. In 2011, Darren was invited to be Ballet Master and Notator for The Australian Ballet Company. He assisted on Graeme Murphy’s Romeo and Juliet and staged Glen Tetley’s Gemini. 2012 saw him stage Ashton’s Les Rendezvous for English National Ballet School and for The Royal Ballet School, in 2015.

Darren has held teaching posts at Elmhurst School of Dance, Trinity Laban and Showa University. Freelance teaching has taken him to ballet companies, vocational dance schools and projects worldwide.

Darren has also taught for RAD Summer Schools in London, Oslo, Italy and China, as well as for other notable dance organisations including the British Ballet Organisation (BBO), Cecchetti Society, Imperial Society for Teachers of Dance (ISTD), Danceworks and Pineapple Dance Studios.

Darren also co-founder 123 Move, in 2016 and became an honorary member of BBO in 2017.

Between 2018-2022 Darren was a Trustee of the Royal Academy of Dance and is also a member of the Benesh Movement Notation Working Group.

Elaine Holland BPHIL (Hons) LRAD, ARAD

Elaine trained at the the Royal Academy of Dance. She went on to perform professionally in both classical and contemporary companies as a soloist, before embarking on a teaching career that has spanned the forty years.

Initially spending seven years in New Zealand, performing, teaching and choreographing, Elaine returned to the UK to teach at a number of vocational schools until accepting a position at Laine Theatre Arts as Head of Ballet.

In 2006, Elaine was appointed Artistic Director for the Dance School of Scotland, a Scottish Centre of Excellence for vocational training funded by the Scottish government. Elaine designed and implemented an effective dance training and curriculum and produced annual performances at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow. Many of her students are now performing professionally throughout the world.

In 2011, Elaine was offered the position of Artistic Director of the Legat School of Dance where, again, she developed a programme and training system which saw a 100% success rate in graduates achieving success in their professional training.

In 2017, Elaine took up a teaching post at the Conservatorio de Danca de Vale do Sousa in Portugal teaching vocational students and assisting with curriculum development and assessment procedures.

Elaine has been an examiner of the Royal Academy of Dance since 2000 and has taught at RAD Summer Schools, including as Head of Teachers for the RAD Summer School Italy.

She currently continues to teach and coach throughout Europe and the UK in a freelance capacity and recently has been devising teachers courses and working in an advisory capacity on curriculum, class structure and assessment criteria.