THE ADULTS DANCE SCHOOL TEAM

James has been involved in theatre and the performing arts from a very young age and has owned a variety of theatre schools and other related businesses in South Wales and in the London region.

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James trained in Ballet at various schools around London, including the Royal Academy of Dance Headquarters.

James was also the founder/Director of the ‘London Boys Ballet School’, 'LBBS Global', Swansea Ballet School and 'London Ballet School' projects. These unique schools have seen national media coverage and received the Dance School of the Year Award from Anne Walker MBE.  The judges were Jonathan Gray,(Dancing Times), and Angela Rippon OBE, (TV presenter). 

With Wayne Sleep OBE as the school Ambassador, and Steven McRae as his School Patron, ​James is very well connected with a variety of dance industry professionals, dance schools, arts colleges and associations. 

We are very honored to have Vanessa Fenton as our school patron.

Vanessa Fenton danced with The Royal Ballet for 13 years.

She has also performed with Ballet Nationale de Marseille, Roland Petit, with ENB and with Wayne Sleep at The London Coliseum. 

She has performed at The Paris Opera, La Scala Milan, The Metropolitan Opera House in New York and almost every other major theatre around the world.

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Vanessa has worked with the ADS Director James for many years in London.

Sheila Cunliffe comes from a strong theatrical background. Her mother was a singer and younger sister Kathryn was a professional dancer, choreographer who now teaches in her own theatre school in Melbourne.

Sheila was born in Wigan, Lancashire and after training in a local dance school she travelled to both Swindon and London to further her dance teaching qualifications.

Family commitments brought her to Swansea where she then decided to open her own dance school.  Sheila's love of classical ballet and her reputation for Ballet training locally are a reflection of this passion. 

Lewis is a contemporary dance artist from Swansea, South Wales. His passion for movement began at the age of five when he joined a local community dance class, training in tap, modern, and ballet. Tap and modern quickly became standout strengths, allowing him to explore rhythm, musicality, and dynamic expression—foundations that continue to shape his movement style today.

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At 15, Lewis discovered contemporary dance through County Youth Dance Company, an experience that opened his eyes to the creative and expressive power of dance. He continued his training at Neath College, where he completed both a BTEC and A Level in Dance, before studying at London Contemporary Dance School (2021–2024).

While at The Place, Lewis developed a passion for hip hop and street dance styles, with popping becoming a defining part of his movement identity. He worked with a range of choreographers, including SAY Dance, Vicky Mantey, and James Cousins.

Following his undergraduate training, Lewis completed his Master’s degree with Emergence Dance, led by Joss Arnott, further refining his choreographic voice and artistic versatility.

A proud Welsh dancer and former member of National Youth Dance Wales, Lewis is deeply committed to nurturing the dance community in Wales. He blends contemporary, hip hop, tap, and modern in his work and is passionate about inspiring others through performance, choreography, and teaching.

He now looks forward to sharing his knowledge and experience with students at the adult dance school, bringing energy, creativity, and a supportive approach to his teaching practice.

Outside the studio, Lewis enjoys football, Formula 1, and martial arts, and holds a black belt in karate.

Siân’s early childhood training began in local dance schools within Swansea, where she had opportunity to perform regularly. At 16, she then went on to train professionally at Laine Theatre Arts where she gained her advanced dance certificates, her National Diploma in Dance and Performing Arts as well as her ISTD Ballet Teaching Associate. 
For over 10 years she worked professionally; starting out onboard Costa cruise lines, before returning to London to work within the commercial fashion and trade industry where she worked for prestigious brands and artists such as Geri Halliwell, Wella, PlayStation, Reebok, Nike, Nissan, SAGA, and Combined Services Entertainment. 
As well as dance, Siân was fortunate to explore several domains within the performance arena; for example, the film and television industry where she worked as a lead artist in commercials and editorials, and as a body double and stand-in artist on several Working Title films. 
During her time as a dancer she also worked as a choreographer, and assistant choreographer, again for prestigious brands such as Vidal Sassoon and HSBC. She also taught a range of dance styles to children and adults.  After retiring from dance Siân pursued post graduate qualifications in Anthropology and Education, and has since been teaching at universities.  Returning to dance after a short break, Siân realised that dance was an indispensable part of her life and she has since sought opportunities to dance, move and preform in several settings. She is now excited to draw on her passions and skills as an educator and to bring these together with her experience and knowledge within the studio to nurture creativity, confidence, quality, and most importantly fun for her students.

Inspired by his sister, Tim started dancing at local schools at 6 years of age. 

After graduating from Arts Educational School London, Tim began a varied professional dancing career performing in Ballet companies, West End musicals, Royal Variety shows, Olympic Games opening ceremony in London, dancing throughout Europe and in New York.

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After gaining all his teaching qualifications with the Royal Academy of Dance and The Imperial Society, Tim taught at various schools including: Italia Conti Academy, Brit School, Royal Ballet School Junior Associates, Mountview Academy etc.

Timothy is an active Ballet examiner for the Royal Academy of Dance.

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Helen trained at Counterpointe Theatre Arts and found that she had a particular enthusiasm and aptitude for tap and modern dance.

As a result she commuted to London and Swindon to gain her tap and modern qualifications to Advanced level. Subsequently she gained her Associates in both tap and modern dance. In addition to teaching, Helen organises the school's finance and adminstration department.

She works particularly well under pressure which is a great asset when she steps into the role of stage manager during the school's theatre performances!

Evie started her dance training with Counterpointe Theatre Arts from age 4, following both the RAD and ISTD association syllabus.

Having worked as an assistant teacher with Counterpointe, and as a dance teacher for a university society for many years, she delivered classes of syllabus Tap from beginner to Advanced levels.

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Evie continues her development by attending weekly CPD training at an ISTD approved centre.

Robyn is an experienced dance teacher with a lifelong passion for dance. She began her training in her hometown of Swansea and later moved to London to study at the prestigious London Studio Centre, earning a Degree in Theatre Dance and performing with the third-year company, Jazz Co.
After graduating, Robyn focused on dance education, completing a PGCE in Dance Education at the Royal Academy of Dance and gaining Qualified Teacher Status. She has taught at Birmingham Ormiston Academy, a fully selective performing arts school in the Midlands, guiding students across a variety of courses and helping them progress to leading performing arts institutions, including Urdang, Bird College, Performers College, LIPA, and London Studio Centre.
Robyn has also worked as a Jazz Dance tutor at Elmhurst Ballet School and the London Studio Centre Associates Programme, providing technical training to prepare students for careers in the Performing Arts industry.
Robyn is now proud to bring her expertise to Adults Dance School (ADS), where she teaches adult dancers of all abilities, ages, and levels. She is passionate about helping adults improve their dance technique, build confidence, and enjoy dance in a supportive and inspiring environment.

COMING SOON

Annabel began dancing at the age of four, completing all RAD grades up to Intermediate in Swansea. She has trained in Ballet, Contemporary, Lyrical, and Jazz, and prior to university taught at local ballet schools in the Swansea area.

While studying at university in London, Annabel continued to develop her passion for dance by choreographing and competing with university dance competition teams across the UK. Alongside her undergraduate studies, she trained at Pineapple Dance Studios and taught weekly ballet classes.

After graduating from Royal Holloway University of London, Annabel worked at The Royal Ballet School, where she organised auditions and seasonal intensive courses at both White Lodge and the Upper School in Covent Garden. Coordinating with renowned choreographers, and principle dancers at The Royal Ballet company. During The Royal Ballet summer schools, she also worked as part of the pastoral team in the Upper School boarding houses in central London.

Annabel completed her Primary PGCE, qualifying as a primary school teacher, working towards her RAD Certificate in Dance Teaching Studies to become a fully qualified RAD ballet teacher.

Annabel is now excited to share her love of dance with the adults dance school, bringing enthusiasm, passion, and a supportive teaching style to her classes.

COMING SOON

Tiffany started Ballet as a 6 year old at Maria Barinowsky’s Ballet school where she did her RAD Ballet examinations.

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She trained there until she was 16 and then successfully auditioned for The Arts Educational School in Tring.

Here she studied for her A levels along with dancing full time obtaining the National Certification in Classical ballet also studying Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Modern, Tap alongside drama and singing.