Members’ Conference Online 1-Day Pass (Sunday)

Louise has been teaching ballet to children of all ages for nearly thirty years. On graduating from the College of the Royal Academy of Dance in 1991, where she completed a three-year ballet teaching diploma, she was awarded the prestigious teaching accolade of Licentiate of the RAD and prizes for Anatomy of the Dancer, Choreography and Most Outstanding Student. 

Louise continued her studies and gained a Bachelor of Philosophy in Dance in 1999. She opened Kingston Ballet School in 1995 and has now been principal for 25 years; she is immensely proud of the pupils of the school and all that they have achieved. 

As well as being a children’s tutor at the Royal Academy of Dance, Louise also teaches and mentors the undergraduate students as part of their degree and on the Licentiate program. Louise is a tutor of the prestigious Karsavina Syllabus, which is unique to the Faculty of Education at the Royal Academy of Dance

She is also a Continual Professional Development (CPD) tutor for the Royal Academy of Dance.

Dollie is a pioneering choreographer, director, and educator whose career spans over four decades. Widely regarded as one of the world’s leading exponents of Artistic Jazz Dance, her work is defined by a unique fusion of theatrical narrative and the profound heritage of the jazz lineage.

In 1996, Dollie founded the Body of People (BOP) Jazz Theatre Company, a creative hub dedicated to the evolution of jazz as a concert art form. Alongside her creative partner, jazz composer and trumpeter Paul Jenkins, she has produced a prolific body of work that emphasises the vital marriage between live jazz music and dance. Her choreography is celebrated for its technical precision, emotional depth, and unwavering commitment to the Africanist roots of the genre.

Dollie’s extensive professional credits include choreography and movement direction for the West End stage, film, and television. She is a sought-after creative collaborator for major theatrical institutions and has served as a guest lecturer and choreographer at prestigious conservatoires, including Trinity Laban, Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, and PPA Guildford.

A tireless advocate for dance education and mentorship, Dollie has travelled the globe sharing her jazz dance aesthetics through masterclasses, workshop programs and residencies. She continues to lead the way in jazz advocacy, producing and curating the bi-annual Jazz Arts Rewired Conventions at The Place, London. Dollie has also published the highly recommended book ‘The Essential Guide to Jazz Dance’, available direct from their publishers, Crowood Press: Essential Guide to Jazz Dance by Dollie Henry & Paul Jenkins.

Beyond her creative and educational leadership, Dollie holds several prestigious advocacy roles that champion excellence and representation across the arts. She is a proud Patron of the IDTA, The Hammond School, Ignite Dance Company and STEPPS.  

Her commitment to industry reform and mentorship is reflected in her positions as an Artistic Guardian for the CGO Institute, Creative Advisor with Audition Circle and as a member and presenter of the Black British Theatre Awards. Through these roles, Dollie continues to shape the future of the British performing arts landscape, ensuring the integrity and diversity of the art form are preserved and integrated into the broader fabric of modern performing arts training for future generations.

In recognition of her extraordinary contribution to the British dance landscape and her dedication to the preservation of jazz culture, in 2021, Dollie was appointed with an ‘MBE’ for Services to Dance. She remains a transformative force in the industry, inspiring the next generation of performers to view jazz not just as a style, but as a sophisticated and expressive form of creative expression and art.

Elizabeth has had a lifelong love of dance, starting her career at Sadler’s Wells and most recently through classes at RAD headquarters, membership of the London Ballet Circle, as a supporter of the Acosta Dance Centre and, most pertinently, as a member of the RAD’s Finance Committee, which has given her a deep insight into the role and workings of the charity and its members.

Elizabeth has had an illustrious career in the public service, latterly as CEO of an HM Treasury commercial agency, where she led 500 people across over 40 locations with a diverse range of stakeholders, successfully developing a compelling vision that led to business growth with significant increases in both staff engagement and customer satisfaction. Before that, she was a director at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, engaging at senior levels around the globe. Throughout her career, she has been involved in setting strategy, organisational transformation, stakeholder and employee engagement and improvements in financial performance.

Elizabeth has also served on the global board of a professional institute, so she has a good understanding of an international membership body. Her expertise in strategy, governance and improving organisational performance led to her appointment as a visiting fellow at the Cranfield School of Management.  Her roles in the charity sector include trusteeships at the Vision Foundation and the Dartington International Summer School Foundation. Her early career also involved fundraising for the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Elizabeth was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours.  The opportunity to serve as Chief Executive of the RAD perfectly combines her love of dance with her wide-ranging and international leadership experience.

Jatie is a dance mover, maker and mentor whose career spans stage and screen.  

Their practice centres trans experiences through interdisciplinary collaboration. Some recurring themes in their work are; relationships between human and nature; creating movement for wearable sculptures; and teetering the line between beauty and grotesque.  

They are currently a Guest Dance Artist for Shobana Jeyasingh Dance. 

Jatie has a portfolio of mentorship across secondary, further, SEND and higher education. They are a recognised Fellow of the High Education Academy, currently undergoing accreditation as a Teacher of Cunningham Technique®.  

Jatie seeks to curate calm and accepting spaces without compromising rigour and excellence.