Hi, I'm Laura!
I graduated from the Royal Academy of Dance with a BA (Hons) in Ballet Education in 2009. From being a young child, I had known that I wanted to be a Dance Teacher. Whilst at the RAD, I gained Distinction in all my Teaching Examinations and was viewed as a “strong and promising” trainee teacher. Upon graduating, whilst I immediately loved my job, it was only after four years of teaching, when I was approached by the RAD to act as a ‘guinea pig’ on their then newly formed MA Dance (Teaching), that I had developed a genuine interest in how children learn best in a Dance Teaching environment. I had become intrigued in not merely the ‘end product’ of a child achieving their latest Dance Examination, but the how: the best approach for each learner to enable them to thrive throughout the learning process.
Sadly, the infancy of the MA at the RAD meant that it was not the Programme for me, but I was delighted to exit having completed a module surrounding Pedagogy and Business with Sean Williams: founder of the CDET (now CDMT). He had been an inspiration of mine for years and I adored researching the building of my own Dance Business alongside the nurturing of students. I was also thrilled to achieve a high Distinction in this module.
I have now been teaching for thirteen years and have had my own Dance School for just over ten years. I purchased a Commercial Premises at the beginning of 2021 and whilst my business is thriving, I believe that the reflective nature of the MAPP will be hugely beneficial to me as a teacher and thus, my students.
I have been Teacher Training on the RAD’s Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies for nine years. Teacher Training to a high level to protect the future generation of dancers and dance teachers is a huge passion of mine, and this programme of study – I hope – will spark further research from me surrounding latest, and best, practice.
Overall, whilst incredibly overwhelmed and nervous after the first week of the MAPP, I am also excited to get stuck in as I believe that this course will further contribute to my ongoing teacher training commitments, alongside my own teaching.
Bye for now,
Laura 🩰
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