Senior Summer School

Luca Acri 
Ballet technique and Classical Repertoire Faculty 

Luca Acri is a First Soloist of The Royal Ballet.  He began his training at the Acri-Horimoto Ballet Academy in Japan, and was a finalist for the 2010 Prix de Lausanne. That year he entered The Royal Ballet Upper School and graduated into the Company during the 2012/13 Season, promoted to First Artist in 2014, Soloist in 2015 and First Soloist in 2019. 

Acri’s repertory with The Royal Ballet includes Basilio (Don Quixote), The Prince, Hans-Peter/Nutcracker (The Nutcracker), Franz (Coppélia), Florizel (Winter’s Tale), Mercutio (Romeo and Juliet), Colas and Alain (La Fille mal gardée), Puck (The Dream), Bluebird and Florestan (The Sleeping Beauty), Lescaut (Manon), Henry Clerval (Frankenstein), Bratfisch (Mayerling), Hilarion (Giselle), Benno(Swan Lake), lead roles in Rhapsody, Requiem, and roles in Solo Echo, Dances at a Gathering, Jewels, Symphonic Variations, Within the Golden Hour, Chroma, Woolf Works and Asphodel Meadows. He has created roles in Liam Scarlett’s The Age of Anxiety and Symphonic Dances, Crystal Pite’s Light of Passage, Hofesh Shechter’s Untouchable, Wayne McGregor’s Obsidian Tear and The Dante Project. 

Isabella Gasparini 
Ballet technique and Classical Repertoire Faculty 

Isabella was born in São Paulo and trained at Ballet Marcia Lago (her mother’s school), with Toshie Kobayashi and at Canada’s National Ballet School. She joined Northern Ballet in 2007, where she danced for five years, and performed with English National Ballet and New English Ballet Theatre before joining The Royal Ballet in 2014. She is currently a First Soloist and just completed a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing. 

Gasparini’s Royal Ballet roles have included The Fairy Spring and The Fairy Autumn (Cinderella), Clara and Rose Fairy (The Nutcracker), Princess Florine and Fairy of the Song Bird (The Sleeping Beauty), Blue Girl (Les Patineurs), Amour (Don Quixote), Neapolitan and Prince Siegfried’s Sister (Swan Lake), Princess Stephanie and Princess Louise (Mayerling), Justine (Frankenstein), Zulme (Giselle), Vera (A Month in the Country) and in ‘Emeralds’ (Jewels), Light of Passage, Woolf Works, Rhapsody, Scènes de ballet, Solo Echo, Viscera and The Dante Project. She has created roles in Flight Pattern, Untouchable, Symphonic Dances, Corybantic Games, Woolf Works and Chencha in Like Water for Chocolate. Her awards include gold medal in the 2003 Youth America Grand Prix. 

Hannah Rudd 
Contemporary faculty 

Hannah Rudd, a versatile dance artist based in London, UK, seamlessly blends dance and theatre in her multidisciplinary practice. Trained at The Royal Ballet School, her career has been marked by engagements with esteemed companies including Rambert Dance Company, Birmingham Royal Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Scottish Ballet, The Michael Clark Company and Ballet Ireland. Since 2021, Hannah has embarked on independent collaborations, spanning theatre, film, studio, and community-based environments in collaboration with Fallen Angels Dance Theatre and Outside Edge Theatre.  

Beyond her expertise as a dance artist, she extends her talents to choreography, direction, and teaching in both dance and yoga. She is currently The Dance Ambassador for Fallen Angels Dance Theatre, The Contemporary Dance Tutor at Elmhurst School for Ballet and Dance, and The Inclusive Dance facilitator for BalletBoyz.  

Hannah is fervently dedicated to using dance as a means to foster inclusive human connections and cultivate a supportive community environment. Holding a Masters in Dance Psychology, she brings a unique perspective to her artistic endeavours.  

Currently, Hannah Is an independent dance artist, choreographer and teacher, working in the UK and internationally.  

Jacob Wye 
Contemporary faculty 

Jacob Wye joined Ballet Black in 2012 and Rambert in 2017, performing works by Hofesh Shechter, Wayne McGregor and Ben Duke. After training at the Royal Ballet Lower School and Central School of Ballet, he appeared as “Siegfried” in Peaky Blinders and in music videos for Jessie Ware and Years & Years. He performed in The Marvels and Beetlejuice 2, Longchamp’s Strand Event, was assistant choreographer for Hermès Brides De Gala immersive event, and was a part of the choreography team for the Commonwealth Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies, creating for and rehearsing over 800 dancers. A regular guest artist for the Royal Ballet and Opera’s Linbury Stage projects, he featured in the dance and text plays, “The Limit” (Lemons, Lemons, Lemons by Sam Steiner) and Ruination (Lost Dog). Recently making his west end debut, Jacob played The Dignitary, in Tegan Summers Theatrics production, Mozart Her Story. Jacob created the role of The Reflection in Kim Brandstrup’s “Echo/Narcissus” and performed at The Theatre De La Ville in the trio, “Mixtape” a new work from Liam Francis. Supporting many creation processes as collaborator, Jacob has worked alongside Jess & Morgan and Fallen Angels and has created original work for Graduate Students around England and in China. He is also ambassador for Chance to Dance- the Royal Ballet and Opera’s outreach program. Jacob is currently Associate Choreographer for Ballet Black and a Cheshire Dance Trustee.