Royal Ballet Associate programme
The school also encourages pupils to audition for The Royal Ballet Outreach Programme, which enables children from age nine to sixteen can travel to Bristol or London to attend classes with members and ex members of The Royal Ballet Company.
Buckingham Dance Studios currently has nine pupils involved in all three levels Junior Associate, Mid Associate and Senior Associate.
But you don't have to be an expert or a budding ballerina to join Buckingham Dance Studios with plenty of Modern, Tap, Jazz and Street Jazz style classes. It's a fun way for your children to exercise and be a part of something they will remember all their lives.
The Teaching Staff
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Pamela de Waal -
ARADAdv Solo Seal fellowship ISTD & UK British federation & All England Panel Adjudicator.
Founder of the School which she ran for 45 years after leaving The Festival Ballet (now ENB) Pamela De Waal handed over into the extremely capable hands of Pollyanna Buckingham in 1999. She remained as active as ever helping with festival work, and toured the length and bredth of the country as an All England Adjudicator, annoucing at the London Finals in 2009. She influenced so many dancers including Derek Dean and Lauren Cuthbertson, and so many hundreds of others, teaching them the love of dance. Sadly in 2011 she lost her battle with cancer, but she lives on in all the teaching staff at Buckingham Dance Studios.
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PRINCIPLE
Pollyanna Buckingham - ARAD PDTC Dip. LONDON ASISTD BBO
Pollyanna started dancing at three at the Pamela de Waal School of dancing. At sixteen she went to full time training at Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts where she gained her teaching associates. Pollyanna went on to dance professionally for twelve years in shows such as Starlight Express, Cats, and Beauty and the Beast to name but a few. During this time she also choreographed numerous pop videos and pantomimes.
In 1992 Pollyanna attended the Professional Dancers Teachers Course at the Royal Academy of Dance London, where she graduated with distinction. She has since taught for the Academy on International Summer Schools in London, Germany and Italy.
In 1997 Pollyanna choreographed the full-length ballet of Jayne Eyre for the London Children's Ballet and it remains today their most popular production and was in fact repeated again this year under the supervision of Fiona Chadwick from the Royal ballet overseeing Pollyanna's original choreography from ten years ago.
Pollyanna returned to Devon in 1998 to choreograph festival work for what was her previous school Pamela De Waal School of Dance and in 1999 was asked if she would like to take over the school. Since then the school has gone from strength to strength attaining some of the highest exam results in the country and every year boasting a 100% success rate at Merit or Distinction level with two pupils Olivia Ford and Elizabeth Thorpe attaining 99marks.
Over the past ten years of running the school Pollyanna has enjoyed enormous success in the West End with two pupils performing the two leads in Billy Eliott. In 2007 Oliver Taylor took to the stage as Billy, and Reece Barrett is now in his second contract appearing as Micheal, Reece
was a novice Tap dancer until working title pictures gave Pollyanna just four months to turn him into a pro.
Kim Hooper -
AISTD
Kim trained at Laine Theatre Arts, Epsom where she completed a dance teacher diploma and was awarded Associate Teaching Qualification in Modern and Ballet. In her final year she was head girl. One of her first jobs was the musical Funny Girl starring Marti Caine.
Kim has appeared in many summer seasons and pantomimes working with Jim Davidson, Brian Conley, Cannon and Ball, the Nolans and many others. Her dancing career has taken her all over the world taking part in trade shows, cabaret and even a magic/circus show in Copenhagen for the late Jeff Richer.
Whilst working for Brian Rogers Kim made many television appearances in the New Entertainers and the Royal Variety Show. Now, Kim is very happy teaching for Pollyanna at Buckingham Dance Studios.
Jaqueline Weeks - ARAD AISTD
Jaqui started dancing with in Exeter with Miss Joyce Hoare and continued her training in London with Phyliss Bedells and the Royal ballet School. She danced professionally in London and Essex before returning to Exeter to teach for Miss Olga cooper a RAD Major Examiner and Miss Pam De Waal. Miss Jaqui as she is now known has been teaching at the school for over thirty years and her wealth of knowledge is greatly appreciated.
Leilha Rowlands -
LRAD AISTD
Leilha started dancing at the age of four and passed all her exams up to Advanced 2 and danced in many local festivals and shows. Leilha attended teacher-training college in Lancashire where she gained her teaching associates. Leilha has been teaching at Buckingham dance Studios for five years and is much loved by all the children she has helped and encouraged through their exams.
Dawn Morrish - ARAD. RADTC. AAAD. RSA
Dawn trained at the Portland Dance Academy in North Devon with the late Esme Preston. At the age of 18, after passing all of her advanced examinations, she embarked on a professional career which lasted 13 years and took her all over the world.
During that time, Dawn danced for top choreographers, Dougie Squires, Peter Gordeno, Jerry Robinson and performed alongside many high profile celebrities (including Jim Davidson, Charlie Drake, Danny La Rue, Barbara Windsor and Ernie Wise to name but a few) in 2 Royal Variety Performances, Pantomime and Summer Season. She also spent several years dancing onboard luxury Cruise Liners and was also Line Captain for P&O, Princess, Cunard and Carnival Cruise Lines. This in turn lead to her being selected to dance on American Television.
In 1994, Dawn returned to North Devon. She gained her teaching qualifications and has been teaching ever since, running her own successful dancing school. In 2009, she relocated to Torquay with her family and is delighted to be teaching at Buckingham Dance Studios.
Stephanie Blackler - AIDTA ABTDA ABM BA Hons.
Stephanie trained at The Trinity College London and also has a BA Hons degree in physiotherapy. Her professional appearances include backing singer Joseph tour, Dancer in A Winters Tale, Jocelyn in The Dreamwriters, Eurydice in A Song for Eurydice Barbican Plymouth, Serena Katz in Fame Coventry, Dancer in Shirley Bassey tribute tour. This year Stephanie won Torbays got Talent and has just completed a season as lead singer at Babbacombe Theatre. Stephanie's troupe won the international hip hop competition Future Cheer in 2009, and really enjoys teaching the Street Dance classe at Buckingham Dance Studios.
Elaine Johnson
Elaine started dancing at the age of 7yrs and trained at dance college for a further 3yrs, training to teach, however at the age of 19 when she performed in pantomime to get her equity card, she loved performing so much, she put the teaching on hold and continued to do numerous professional shows, dancing in pantos, summer sesons and hair and fashion shows some of which she choreographed. Elaine came to Torbay to do a summer season and settle here. In more recent years she has choreographed for many local societies in the bay, Exeter and Exmouth. She has taught national curriculum dance and also taught for impact stage school for 3yrs. Elaine is currently involved with a company called Theatre Learning, and regularly performs in Murder Mystery's, which she has been doing for ten years along with choreographing Paignton Pantomime Productions. Elaine loves helping out at Buckingham Dance Studiios and watching the youngsters grow and develop in confidence.
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