Read about Pollyanna Buckingham

PRINCIPAL – POLLYANNA BUCKINGHAM
A.R.A.D. P.D.T.C. Dip. LONDON A.S.I.S.T.D.  
                                                                              
Pollyanna started dancing at the age of three at the Pamela De Waal School. At sixteen she went on to train full time at the Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts where she gained her teaching associates. Pollyanna then 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 Pollyanna also choreographed pop videos and pantomimes. Pollyanna attended the Professional Dancers Teaching Course at the Royal Academy of Dancing in 1992 and qualified with Distinction, she has also taught for the Academy in London, Italy and Germany. In 1997 Pollyanna Choreographed the full length ballet of “Jane Eyre” for the London Children's Ballet, which is still their most successful production.

Pollyanna returned to Devon in 1998 to choreograph festival work for what was then the Pamela de Waal School of Dancing and in 1999 was asked if she would like to take over the school. Since then the school has gone from strength to strength with some excellent exam results boasting a 100% pass rate with many of the pupils achieving distinction of 90 marks and above. Pollyanna has now been teaching in Devon for eight years and 2006 has been one of the most successful years for the school. In April three of her dancers qualified for the finals in the Fontyne Nureyev Young Dancer of the year competition (only four places were allocated for the entire South West region from Bristol down) They were Matilda Naylor, Oliver Taylor and Elizabeth Thorpe. Oliver Taylor won the final and following a roller coaster of publicity has now landed the title role in the hit London Musical “Billy Elliot”.