School of Dance

Crouch End / Muswell Hill & Hampstead, North London.

DANCE TEACHERS

Kit Dickinson A.R.A.D. Dip. P.D.T.D., A.I.S.T.D.

Kit trained at Bush Davies and Northern Ballet School. During her career she has danced with many different companies including the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, Scottish Ballet, and several smaller touring companies including Cwmni Ballet Gwent, National Ballet of Ireland, European Ballet, Ballet Creations of London and Alexander Roy London Ballet Theatre. Roles include The Sugar Plumb Fairy in the Nutcracker, Swanilda in Coppelia and The Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty.

Kit has held appointments as Ballet Mistress for several companies and enjoys working with professional dancers as well as young children and vocational students. Kit has been involved in the preparatory work for the new Royal Academy of Dance syllabus and taught on many Academy Summer Schools in the UK and abroad. She currently takes Pre-School to Grade Two as well as Adult classes at The Royal Academy of Dance.

Sue Dickinson M.Phil., RAD Teaching Dip.

Sue Dickinson first became interested in movement at Sussex University, completing her post graduate studies with an M.Phil. in movement skills learning. Sue was trained by Tina Pilgrim and Janet Burgess, both examiners of the Royal Academy of Dance. Her studies included anatomy and the history of dance as well as all practical aspects of the RAD syllabus. In 1982 she was principal for a branch of a large Cambridge dancing school then moved on to manage her own school. Sue has taught both GCSE Dance and A Level Performing Arts Dance. In twenty years of teaching she has successfully entered candidates for the Royal Academy of Dance examinations. Sue has also been successful in winning lottery funding for Art Projects, dance performances and workshops.

Esperanza Carmona (P.D.T.D. RAD) (A.I.S.T.D. National)

Born in Spain, Esperanza came to London in 1991 to continue training at Central School of Ballet, which concluded with the British Gas Ballet Central National Tour. Over the years she has choreographed, taught ballet and character dance to professional dancers and children. Esperanza is multi skilled and designs and makes costumes as well as appearing in national and international venues with many companies including The Royal Opera at Covent Garden, Ballet Creations, Vienna Festival Ballet, The English Character Dance Company (Romanska), Dance Umbrella’s British Library project, Cambridge Handel Opera, Thorn Halves Music Theatre, Red October, Sxedia Dance Company, Re-animator, Balletomania and Volga Dancers.

In the Summer Season 2009 at the Royal Opera House, Esperanza had the opportunity to work as Assistant Choreographer and Dancer for the revival of La Traviata, screened live in cinemas all around Europe. Esperanza has been teaching at FirstSteps School of Dance for the last 3 years. Esperanza is now Administrator for the Hampstead Branch of our school.

Naomi Wallis

Naomi trained at Dance East on the Suffolk Ballet Scholarship Scheme. Taking an Arts break, she attended The University of Southampton gaining a degree in Oceanography! On graduation, Naomi decided to get back in ballet and dance properly so she started lessons with Miss Kit. Naomi has a diploma in Dance from The University of London, Birkbeck College as well as being a Registered Teacher of the Royal Academy of Dance. Naomi now balances teaching for Firststeps, Muswell Hill, and Hampstead with various performing commitments including, film, television, musical theatre, and children’s theatre work.

Elizabeth Lamb

Lizzie is currently studying for a certificate in ballet teaching studies with the RAD and is a new member of our staff. Lizzie graduated from Millennium Performing Arts in 2006 gaining a Professional Diploma in Musical Theatre. Lizzie has worked in Turkey, Spain and in the Journal Tyne Theatre's Dick Whittington pantomime in her home town of Newcastle upon Tyne. Lizzie cannot wait to finish her teaching course and get on with a full-time teaching career!

Catherine Ford

Delighted to become a new member of the team, Kate has been teaching beginner, improver and intermediate salsa classes in London for the past 12 years. Passionate about all things salsa, she loves to share the fun and guarantees you'll be up and dancing by the end of your first class.

Kate will be teaching LA/Puerto Rican style salsa on the course at FirstSteps this will give everyone a feel for musicality, a foundation in the basic steps and partner work techniques with a simple elegant style to help you feel confident and look great on the dance floor.

Kate is co-founder of Salsa Y Mambo, 1997. Dance styles include LA/Puerto Rican, NY and Cuban salsa, Kizomba, Bachata, Meringue, and Zouk. Over the past year, Kate has also been working with Clementine Bunel, a specialist in the art of NY salsa on teaching classes, workshops and promoting dance exhibitions.