Members’ Conference Online 1-Day Pass (Friday)

Justine joined London City Ballet at the age of seventeen and enjoyed an international performing career spanning 19 years. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Dance’s Professional Dancers’ Teaching Diploma (PDTD) with Distinction. 

Justine has taught for the Royal Ballet School, English National Ballet School, Central School of Ballet, Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, Laine Theatre Arts, amongst others. For the Royal Academy of Dance, she has taught across many programmes, summer schools, workshops and CPD activities.  

She has also taught Benesh Movement Notation at the Royal Ballet School, anatomy at London Studio Centre and held the role of Ballet Mistress and répétiteur for many touring companies. 

Justine has extensive experience in dance teacher education. She was a Lecturer in Dance Education for the Faculty of Education at the RAD from 2019 to 2022. She has taught on programmes including The Professional Dancers’ Postgraduate Certificate and the BA (Hons) in Ballet Education. She was significantly involved in the Royal Academy of Dance’s Professional Dancers’ Teaching Diploma (PDTD) UK for many years, including tutoring, assessing, and reshaping the programme. Justine was the PDTD Programme Manager (UK and China) from 2019 until 2022.  

In 2022, Justine was appointed Subject Lead: Ballet and Contemporary at Bird College.  

Justine taught Character technique and repertoire at the Royal Ballet School from 2018 until 2022. She was fortunate to study Maria Fay’s approach to character extensively with specialists Valerie Sunderland and Amanda Maxwell, both of whom worked closely with Maria Fay. Justine continues to teach Character for RBS Intensive programmes and auditions. She is a tutor for the Royal Ballet School’s Inspire seminars and has taught and assessed for the school’s Diploma in Dance Teaching.  

Other roles include former Chairman of the Royal Academy of Dance’s London and Middlesex Regional Advisory Board and Trustee of the Academy, 2016 -2019. Justine returned as Trustee in 2024 and serves on the Artistic sub-committee.  

Justine has a keen interest in music, in dance teaching and education. She holds a Level 7 Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching (University of the Arts) and the Master of Teaching (Dance) from the University of Surrey/ Royal Academy of Dance.

Sarah trained with the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) from childhood grades, through the Teacher Training College, a distance-learning degree course and into postgraduate education. Research in ‘Inclusive Dance Practice’ at Postgraduate level instigated an interest in more diverse teaching. Sarah was part of the RAD Dance for Lifelong Wellbeing (DfLW) project in 2012, undertaking practice-based research into the benefits and considerations when teaching older learners to dance. Having contributed to the RAD Report (2013) and presented at the DfLW conference (2013), she participated in the second phase of the DfLW project (2017) and acted as mentor to other researching teachers. From these beginnings came the creation of the RAD Silver Swans Ballet programme, formally launched in 2017, the benefits of which Sarah is passionate about.  

Sarah has had the opportunity to share the joy of Silver Swans in many contexts, particularly during the pandemic when there was a surge of interest in ways to keep fit and healthy whilst isolating or in lockdown. Sharing enthusiasm through various media and presenting in a range of situations contributed to her earning the RAD Advocacy Award in 2020. Her latest project has been developing the Seated Swans programme so that even more people can share the joy of dance. Sarah currently enjoys teaching Silver Swans in a wide range of contexts, from church halls, through Zoom (still!), at RAD HQ, and she has the great honour of teaching our prestigious Swan, Queen Camilla, whenever Her Majesty’s diary permits.