Junior Summer School

Week 1:

Amy Hollins (Ballet and Group Dance)

Amy trained at the English National Ballet School where she graduated into the English National Ballet Company. Amy danced a variety of repertoire whilst in the company, including Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker, Coppélia, Swan Lake, Romeo & Juliet, Paquita, Raymonda, Rite of Spring, Facing Viv, Drink to me with thine eyes and created a role in Christopher Hampson’s ballet Trapeze.

Amy’s musical theatre credits in the west end include Christopher Wheeldon’s An American in Paris, Sinatra the Man and his Music, understudy Judy in Twyla Tharps’s production of Movin Out, understudy Meg Giry in Phantom of the Opera, Phantom 25^th Anniversary Concert, Le Vespre Sicilliennes (Royal Opera) and Ashley Page’s On The Town (Tokyo).

Film/Television credits include Walt Disney’s The Nutcracker and The Four Realms, Royal Variety Performance 2011,2012 & 2016 (ITV), Gigglebiz (CBBC), Concert for Diana with Take That (BBC).

Amy graduated from the Royal Academy of Dance Professional Dancers Teaching Course in 2018 and has since taught at London Studio Centre, Central School of Ballet Associates, The Royal Academy of Dance and as Ballet Mistress and Rehearsal Director for the London Children’s Ballet.

Amy is currently the 2^nd year ladies ballet tutor at the Central School of Ballet.

Belinda Roy (Creative)

Originally from Canterbury, Belinda graduated with a first-class BA (Hons) in Ballet Education from the Royal Academy of Dance in 2019. She also gained a Distinction in becoming a Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Dance and received the Iris Truscott Scholarship in her final year. Belinda then went on to complete an MA in Dance Performance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, whilst being a member of Transitions Dance Company. It was from this experience that she decided to combine both her teaching and performing career paths.

Belinda teaches ballet, contemporary and creative dance to a wide range of participants in private dance schools and community settings in and around London for organisations such as Rambert and the RAD. She is also a freelance contemporary dancer and has performed in stadium events, for television and theatres including the Royal Opera House.

Belinda’s experience of teaching culminates in fun, challenging and rewarding dance lessons, where the students will feel supported in a safe and positive environment.

Sonny Ward (Musical Theatre)

For over a decade, Sonny has dedicated himself to full-time dance teaching, focusing on jazz dance technique, musical theatre, and specialising in Matt Mattox-based Isolation technique, a method he studied intensively for three years during his professional dance training.

Sonny currently trains students enrolled in the BA (Hons) Degree course, Gap year (Cert HE), and BTEC courses at Arts Ed School of Musical Theatre and Emil Dale Academy. Currently with over 15 years of teaching experience at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and more than 10 years at the Royal Academy of Dance, he has contributed to both RAD’s Dance School and various London and international courses and workshops. Additionally, Sonny served as the Senior Company Leader for the RAD Jazz Company at Step Into Dance for eight years, leading weekly training sessions and choreographing performances at London theatres. Previously, Sonny has taught at institutions including London Vocational Ballet School (formerly known as Young Dancers Academy), The Place, and Hurtwood House. His international teaching experience extends to locations such as Singapore, Dubai, Luxembourg, and more.

Over the years of teaching, Sonny has received numerous opportunities to choreograph for various stage and screen productions. Additionally, he has been hired in the past to collaborate with music artists, aiding in the development of movement skills and confidence for live performances.

In the realm of screen choreography, Sonny has crafted dynamic routines for commercial campaigns of major brands like Sainsbury’s, Littlewoods, Weetabix, and Asda. His expertise extends to coordinating live public flashmobs, notably for Walkers Crisps and BBC’s ‘The Rob Brydon Show.’ Collaborating with production entities like Merman, Freud Communications, Moxie Pictures, Weilands, and AMV BBDO.

For stage, his choreography has been performed at events such as ‘Move It’ (Main Stage), ‘West End Live’ (Trafalgar Square), ‘Evening Standard – Get Reading’ (Trafalgar Square), ‘The Lord Mayors Show’ (London Parade) and ‘The Stable Gala Concert’ (Lyric Theatre). He has choreographed dance pieces performed at Sadlers Wells, The Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre and The Landmark Hotel. Sonny also choreographed for the West Ham FC cheerleaders at Upton Park Stadium.

Sonny, a dedicated and passionate teacher, takes joy in nurturing and developing his students’ talents. With high standards and expectations, he motivates them to surpass limits and reach their full potential. While his classes are physically demanding and technically challenging, they are tailored to suit each group. Sonny has built a reputation for delivering top-tier training, leading many students to successful and diverse careers in the industry.

Wendy Jardine (Pilates)

Since 2009, Wendy has taught Pilates to dancers. She creates and presents courses to ballet teachers in the principles of Pilates, too, so teachers can use the knowledge in their teaching.

Wendy is trained to Master Level and has been teaching Pilates since 2007. She uses Pilates to empower dancers in all of their movement. Pilates gives them the conscious awareness of their strengths and imbalances and equips them with the tools to self-care, rebalance and avoid injury. They enhance and improve their strength, mobility and flexibility, by knowing how and where every muscle is, and why each muscle group makes a move, big or small, or is a deep stabilising muscle. By isolating, engaging and feeling, which muscles are creating what, the dancers can consciously call upon them in their training and performance, which takes their work to another level. Within these sessions, which flow from one move to another, the dancers learn how to use their breath to stabilise, connect and relax. This tool enriches life skills, exam technique and is deeply calming.

When Wendy is not at the Academy, she teaches in West Dulwich and currently many sessions over Zoom. She has a forever-growing online library of over a hundred sessions www.pilates-instructor.net

Week 2:

Anna Forbes (Ballet and Group Dance)

Anna was born in Scotland and began dancing from the young age of two. She moved to England at 11 years old to attend The Royal Ballet School then later moved to Elmhurst School for Dance to complete her training.

During her performing career she was lucky enough to dance with some of the UK’s major ballet companies and also appear in London’s West End as Meg Giry in Phantom of the Opera and also the White Cat in CATS. Her passion for teaching has been the one constant throughout her performing career so in 2017 she decided to do her RAD teacher training qualification. Since then she has been teaching full-time at various locations around London and also opened her own school in 2019.

She loves working with children of all ages and is excited to meet everyone and teach at the RAD summer school this year.

Mark Allison (Ballet and Group Dance)

Mark is a Fellow of the ISTD’s Imperial Classical Ballet Faculty and has a BA in Professional Practice, (Dance). He has experience teaching across multiple sectors including vocational, and educational and has previously held the position of Head of Ballet within a Junior setting.

Mark also coaches new teachers on the Classical Ballet DDE course. As well as ballet, Mark has extensive experience in figure skating. He has regularly coached in the UK and overseas, particularly in Germany and the United States. Presently Mark is working alongside GB dance and free skate competitors. Last year Mark was thrilled to be offered a place on the Royal Ballet’s Vocational Teaching Diploma and is currently studying for his PGCE in preparation to move on to study a masters degree. Mark is currently a Ballet faculty member at Performers College as well as The Wilkes Academy.

Mark also teaches on the Centre of Advanced Training programme and is an Associate Dance Artist for the Royal Ballet’s Chance to Dance schools programme.

Kevin Young (Creative)

Kevin has toured the world performing for artists such as Cheryl Cole, Florence & the machine, Sophie Ellis Bextor and on TV shows such as X factor, Britain’s Got Talent, Dancing on Ice, and So You Think You Can Dance, to name a few.

His passion for choreography and teaching has enabled him to work in places such as Australia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and all over Europe. Kevin does a lot of teaching through the Royal Academy of Dance and is also the founder and principal of his own dance school in London, Young Performers Academy, where he teaches and passes on his knowledge to future dance professionals.

Karen Cadogan (Yoga)

Karen trained at the London College of Dance, graduating with a 1^st class teaching diploma. She toured with the Jiving Lindy Hoppers, in London, on TV, UK & internationally. Karen danced with BOP jazz theatre company, performed in several West End productions of The King & I and was the assistant choreographer to Susan Kikuchi at The Royal Albert Hall, among other engagements.

She has taught in traditional dance schools and vocational colleges, on summer schools and on choreography commissions. As Head of Dance in an Independent School for over 20 years, Karen devised and directed dance productions alongside teaching RAD Ballet, ISTD Modern, Jazz, and GCSE Dance, students successfully auditioned for vocational colleges.

Karen’s passion for movement, expression, and wellness found a natural expansion into the practice of yoga. Having experienced the sense of peace and the positive effects, she completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training in Vinyasa Flow, at Ashiyana, Goa 2016.

Students must be studying ballet, Grade 2 up to Intermediate Foundation, or the equivalent, and therefore be familiar with the ballet terminology and phrases at Grade 2 as a minimum. There is no audition, selection, or elimination process. Students will be grouped by the Artistic Team according to their age and the information provided on their application relating to their Grade in ballet and other dance experience. Please ensure your application is accurate.

Please review our syllabus vocabulary with your child’s ballet teacher if you are unsure what level they are currently studying. Students can be studying the RAD ballet syllabus or another ballet syllabus, and are not required to have RAD Membership to be eligible to attend the London Summer School.

• Week 1: Monday 21 – Saturday 26 July 2025
• Week 2: Monday 28 July – Saturday 2 August 2025

Booking deadline: Monday 2 June 2025

Monday-Friday: 10.15am – 5pm
Saturday: Hours vary

• Students will have a short morning and afternoon break with a longer lunch break in the middle of the day.
• The theatre trip day will be an earlier start, and on the Saturday tuition hours vary for the parent open day.
• A full timetable will be included in the final Information Pack sent to all attendees following the closing date.

The Summer School will be held at our purpose-built studios in London. Full address details below:

Royal Academy of Dance
188 York Road
London
SW11 3JZ

Please see the travel guide to get to our studios.

Students must bring a packed lunch each day as this will not be provided. Snacks and drinks will be available for students during the breaks. All dietary requirements should be submitted at the time of application.

The RAD does not organise accommodation for students, however, if you are looking for somewhere close by to stay, you may find our List of Accommodation helpful.

The Early Bird Club runs each morning (Monday – Friday) from 8.30am.

For an additional fee of up to £15.00 per day, students will be cared for by our dedicated and friendly team of chaperones and offered a choice of indoor activities. The aim is to provide an affordable, safe and stimulating environment before dance classes begin and to give parents added flexibility. Fresh fruit and milk will be provided, students are welcome to bring their own breakfast cereal, or purchase something from the onsite cafe.

One tuition award will be presented to a student (at any level) who has shown significant improvement at the RAD Junior Summer School. The award is one week’s tuition at an RAD Summer School in 2026 or 2027.