Ballet

Miss Catherine Clark ARAD, PDTC. Head of Dance
Teacher for all levels of Ballet and Choreography, Coach for all RAD Examinations.  Year Tutor for Years 1.  Former Classical Ballet Soloist with International Ballet Companies.  Trained at the Royal Ballet School.

Mr Simon Gray Graduate Certificate – RBS, Advanced Cecchetti Ballet
Teacher of Free Ballet, Boys, Pas de Deux & Lifts. Former Principal Dancer with Scottish Ballet. Trained at the Royal Ballet School.

Miss Nathalie Leger ARAD, PDTC
Teacher of RAD Majors & Free Ballet. After a career as Principal Ballet Dancer with many major ballet companies in Europe and England, Miss Leger completed the Professional Dance Teachers course at the Royal Academy London in 2010. Miss Leger was also a former ballet mistress at Northern Ballet.

Miss Sophie Robinson RAD, CBTS (RTS)
Teacher of Free Ballet, Grades and RAD Majors. Sophie was accepted into the Royal Ballet School at the age of 11 and continued to train classically before graduating from the London Studio Centre. She has worked worldwide, appearing in various shows and pantomimes and the Royal Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden..

 

Jazz

Mr Stewart Avon-Arnold Head of Jazz
Teacher of Jazz and specialist Boys Coach.  Principal Dancer and Choreographer for West End shows, Pop promos, Film and Television.  Internationally renowned teacher.  Trained at the London School of Contemporary Dance.

Mr Stuart Hayes
Teacher of Jazz. Trained at Performers College and on graduating went straight into working on TV shows such as Stars in their Eyes and the Royal Variety Show.  His knowledge of what the “industry” needs today is supported by him regularly choreographing for  television shows.   Mr Hayes  works worldwide with numerous pop artists including Diana Ross, Kylie Minogue, Spice Girls and George Michael and is always in demand to lecture for both the IDTA and ISTD.

Miss Leonora Stapleton M.A.
Teacher of Jazz, Ballet and Specialist Coaching. Miss Stapleton is a former professional dancer with the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and London Contemporary Dance School Miss Stapleton is currently Associate Choreographer for Disney’s Musical Production of Tarzan.

Miss Kelly Clayton
Teacher of Commercial and Street Jazz.  Miss Clayton has had a very diverse career with credits including P&O Cruises, pantomimes, ‘Mystique’, television work, modelling and choreography for television and theatre shows in the UK and Australia.

Miss Liana Rainford ISTD, RAD, IDTA
Teacher of Jazz. Miss Rainford has done many productions and been a freelance dance choreographer for the last few years working in both theatre and television and teaching in a number of establishments covering various age groups.

 

Musical Theatre Repertoire

Mr Tom Ball AIDTA, ALCM,  Head of Musical Theatre/Director of Theatrical Agency
Teacher of Musical Theatre and Foundation Jazz. Since graduating from SLP College with a contract for Starlight Express, Tom has directed and choreographed many musicals in the North of England.  His choreography has also extended to commercial fashion and hair shows for TV and theatre throughout England, London and Paris.

Miss Kirsty Sparks BA, PGCE
Teacher of Musical Theatre. Miss Sparks is a well respected Choreographer whose professional career has embraced several West end shows including CATS, Starlight Express, Joseph and Saturday Night Fever. She has also directed and choreographed shows. 

 

Tap and Modern

Miss Hannah Rooke AISTD Dip (TB) (MB) (NB), AIDTA (Ballet), Exam Co-ordinator - ISTD Majors and FDI Coaching.
Teacher of Tap and Modern. Coach for the Foundation Course.  Year Tutor for Year 2.  Performing experience in Pantomimes, Ballet, Television and Promotional work. 

Miss Philippa Matkin RAD(Teaching Certificate), AISTD(CDE), AIDTA
Teacher of Tap and Modern.  Graduate of SLP College and Preston College.  Teaches ISTD Major syllabus.

Miss Rachel Woodwards
Teacher of Tap and Modern.  Trained at London Studio Centre.  From graduation she worked on many television shows and worldwide for Princess Cruises and was Choreographer and Rehearsal Director for Costa Cruises prior to retraining for a teaching career. 

 

Faculty of Acting

Mr Joe Standerline MA (Distinction)  Head of Acting
Teacher of all genres of Acting. Twenty years professional experience as an actor for large, medium and small scale theatre, also Musical Theatre and Television roles.  Joe is also a Scriptwriter and Playwright with more than fifty professionally produced works to his name.

Mr Martin Saxton BA LGSM
Teacher of Voice, Script & Acting. Mr Saxton is an experienced professional actor, director, scriptwriter, tutor and voice coach, having training at Guildhall. He has worked across the UK and in Ireland, Holland and Hungary as an actor and acting tutor. Besides experience in corporate video he has worked on TV and was last seen in “Where the Heart Is”.

Miss Martine Dunn BA (Hons) English & Drama, Cert.Ed, LNEA (Voice & Acting)
Teacher of Voice.  Trained at RADA and New Era Academy of Music & Drama.  A trained examiner for LAMDA and NEA.  A professional actress who is still working within the industry, well known for her radio drama, audio book narration and children’s animation.  Television roles (too numerous to mention) and many television commercials.

 

Faculty of Music and Singing

Mr Peter Smith ALCM (TD) Musical Theatre, BEd, ARCM Musical Director & Head of Singing
Teacher of Singing, Harmony and Musical Theatre Repertoire. Mr Smith is an experienced teacher whose professional work includes musical direction of many musical shows including Gilbert & Sullivan. He has studied Estill Technique.

Mr David Windle Musical Director
Musical Director for SLP. Mr Windle is a well known experienced Musical Director and is an extremely versatile musician. He has worked in many venues worldwide and covered all genres of music from “Pacific Overtures”, Poppy to Gilbert & Sullivan, and Little Shop of Horrors.

Mr David Watkin-Holmes LWCMD, DPSM, PGCE, MIFL Senior Singing Tutor
Professional Tenor Vocalist , Lecturer in Performing Arts and Vocal Consultant.  Teacher of Voice Anatomy, Physiology and Rehabilitation; Technique, Repertoire and Interpretation.  Former member of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain and previous winner of the Mario Lanza Awards’ 1st Prize.  Performs throughout the UK and abroad.  Has studied Estill Technique.

Mr Jonathan Eiø Senior Singing and Voice Coach
Senior Singing and Vocal Coach specializing in acting through song. Mr Eiø is a singer/songwriter/performer and MD for musicals.

Miss Harriet Johnson BMus (Hons)
Teacher of Singing, Musicianship and Sight Reading. Miss Johnson is an accomplished vocal performer and musician. She is classically trained and has extensive experience both as a performer, voice specialist and choral director. She has worked for the BBC and ITV, working with soloists, coaching choirs and also as a musical advisor to the director. Has studied Estill Technique.

Mrs Heather Watts BMus (Hons)
Vocal Coach specializing in acting through song. Mrs Watts is a professional Soprano who was born in Texas and studied music at the University of Texas. She then came to the UK to study Opera Performance at the Royal College of Music, London and also studied for 2 years at the Austrian/American Mozart Academy in Salzburg. Mrs Watts has performed in the West End of London and many other European centres. She has been teaching at various schools over the past few years.

 

Faculty of Integrated Professional Studies

Mrs Eileen Thompson BA, Cert Ed
Head of Integrated Professional Studies.  Learning Support Tutor.

 

Tutors

Mrs Eileen Thompson BA, Cert Ed

Miss Harriet Johnson BMus (Hons)

 

Accompanists

Dr Gerard Power D Phil, M Litt, Mus B, LTCL
Accompanist, Music Teacher and Composer. 

Mr David Plumpton
Classical and Singing Accompanist, Jazz and Tap Pianist and Musical Arranger.

Miss Alena Panasenka
BA (Hons) Music, MA Philosophy
Concert Master, Teacher of Piano and Piano Accompanist

Mr David Muñoz
BA (Hons) Jazz
Versatile pianist, percussionist and composer with extensive musical experience.

 

Fitness 

Mr Andrew Barker ARAD, Fitness Instructor – REPs Level 2
Teacher of Fitness.  Personal Trainer, Pilates and Remedial Coach. 

Mr Blair Murray BSc (Hons)
Teacher of Fitness, Personal Trainer specialising in gym programmes.  Teacher of Anatomy.    A former professional performer in the West End and on tours, who then retrained as a Fitness Instructor.

 

Guest Teachers

Mr Ben Harris
Mr Harris has just completed a tour of Footloose and also pantomime and is again back at SLP as a guest teacher.

Miss Jodie Oliver BA (Hons)
Miss Oliver is returning to SLP having been Musical Director here for two years. Miss Oliver has been working as an assistant Musical Director in London and will be teaching year 3 graduates for their Showcase event during the January term.

 

Pastoral care

Miss Lucie Kemp  AISTD (CB) (NB) (TB) (MB), AISTD (TB) Dip, Vice Principle, Student and Staff Advisor & Safeguarding Officer.

Pastoral Care:
Foundation       Miss Hannah Rooke
Year 1       Miss Catherine Clark
Year 2       Miss Harriet Johnson
Year 3       Miss Harriet Johnson

 

Physiotherapy

Mr John Rutherford BA (Hons) Physiotherapy, Member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists, Member of the Health Professional Council.
Mr Rutherford is based in Leeds but holds weekly treatment clinics at the College.