Meet our Team
We offer high quality training whilst following the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), Acrobatic Arts and ISTD Tap and Modern Syllabus.
The Advance School of Dance and Theatre Art are proud to offer fun and inspiring dance classes in a variety of theatre disciplines. We aim to offer high quality training whilst following the prestigious Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) syllabus as well as the ISTD Tap and Modern syllabus. This allows students to gain renowned dance qualifications and have the opportunity to perform in annual shows and festivals.
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The school offers high quality dance and theatre training by preparing students for RAD and ISTD examinations as well as festivals and public performances. We offer classes suitable for adults and children of all ages across Reading and Wokingham. Our classes cater for those students who dance for a hobby and also for those who would like to follow a career in the dance and theatre industry. We pride ourselves on treating every student as an individual and helping them reach their full potential.
Miss Melissa
Principal/Owner
BA (Hons) Ballet Education, LRAD, ARAD, RAD RTS, ISTD Tap & Modern
Miss Melissa started training from a very young age in a wide variety of dance styles including RAD ballet, ISTD modern and tap, musical theatre, street dance and much more. Growing up she continued her training and had the opportunity to perform in many professional productions, festivals and competitions. At 18 she was accepted to train at the Royal Academy of Dance on the BA Ballet Education course. During her time at the RAD she completed her advanced 2 level Ballet and passed her Licentiate teacher training with Distinction. She also was given many performance opportunities from Dancing at Move It and the Live Home show at Earls Court to dancing with the cast of Memphis for the BBC as part of comic relief.
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Since then she has graduated and has been teaching at prestigious schools around London including Chelsea Ballet Schools, where she delivered ballet classes to top private schools and helped stage their production with the principles of the English National Ballet. She also worked at many other schools in London entering students for RAD ballet and ISTD tap and modern examinations. As well as this she has choreographed for many dance festivals and also coached students auditioning for west end and vocational schools including Tring, The Royal Ballet School, Central School of Ballet, Elmhurst and many musical theatre stage schools. Miss Melissa has also been a teacher mentor for the RAD for many years. many students from the BABE course have gained experience with Miss Melissa as she has mentored them through their RAD private sector teaching exams.
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Miss Melissa opened Advance School of Dance and Theatre Art in 2017 with just 3 students. Since then the school has grown from strength to strength and now has a full timetable with 2 branches and over 300 students. Miss Melissa is so proud of how far the school has come in such a short space of time.
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Miss Melissa started her associates team in 2018 which has now grown to 46 members from age 4-18 years. The team compete nationally and internationally in many different competitions including All England and British Arts.
Miss Georgia
Deputy Principal
BA (Hons) Dance, Arcobatics Arts, ISTD Modern
Miss Georgia begun her dance journey at the age of 5, where she immersed herself in dancing, singing and acting classes. As she grew, her passion for dance led her to pursue more training in ISTD Modern and RAD Ballet exams.
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After her schooling, Miss Georgia continued her studies in Performing Arts at college, with the ambition of securing a place at a full-time dance school. In 2017, her dedication paid off when she was accepted onto a degree course at the Creative Academy, where she honed her skills in a wide range of style, including ballet, modern, contemporary, jazz, commercial and arcobatics.
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While studying at Creative Academy, Miss Georgia began teaching with us on Saturday's. Her experience at Advance deepened her commitment to dance education, and she soon realised her passion for our school and her drive to nurture and develop young talent.
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Miss Georgia graduated inn2020 with a BA (hons) in dance, ready to devote more time and energy into inspiring the next generation of dancers with us at Advance. Recognizing the ever-evolving nature of the dance world, she continues to take class regularly, believing that staying current is essential for both personal growth and effective teaching.
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Additionally, Miss Georgia has expanded her qualifications, earing certifications in Acrobatic Arts and ISTD Modern Theatre, further enhancing her ability to educate and inspire her students.
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Having said all of this, Miss Georgia has become our Deputy Principle and is also Head of Modern here at Advance!
Miss Katelyn
Head of Tap
BA (Hons) Musical Theatre, ISTD Tap & Modern
Miss Katelyn started her dance journey at age 4 in her hometown in the North East of Scotland, training in many genres with the ISTD & RAD including free classes. At the age if 17, Miss Katelyn decided to train professionally at Performers College with she training for 3 years in all dance genres, acting, voice & vocal coaching and graduated with a BA (Hons) in Musical Theatre as well as ISTD tracing qualification sin both Tap and Modern.
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After graduating, Miss Katelyn completed her first professional contract as a Lead singer/dancer with Carnival Cruise lines onboard the Carnival Valor. Since then, she has appeared on screen in various films including Enola Holmes, Firebrand and Napoleon.
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Miss Katelyn continues to further her teaching qualifications and is always striving to learn from other professionals in order to provide the best tuition for her students here with us at Advance.
Miss Lauren
Singing Teacher / Saturday College
BA (Hons) Dance & Musical Theatre
Miss Lauren started singing and dancing from the age of 4. She trained in all styles including Ballet, Tap, Modern and Jazz. She also had many Singing and Musical Theatre lessons.
At 18, Miss Lauren then continued her training at Bird College where she has recently graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in Dance and Musical Theatre. As well as completing her degree, Miss Lauren is also working towards her ISTD Diploma in Dance Education (DDE) in Modern.
During her time at Bird College, she performed in many large scale productions with a variety of choreographers and directors, including performing as a dancer at Move It, Excel Centre.
Miss Lauren always had a passion for teaching and knew this was something she wanted to pursue after graduating. Miss Lauren is always looking to expand her teaching knowledge to ensure her students get the best out of their training at Advance.
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Miss Natasha
Head of Acro
Acrobatic Arts
TBC
Miss Immie
Mini Saturday College
Miss Immie started dancing at the age of 3, exploring various styles such as ballet, tap, modern, and acro. She participated in numerous shows and exams up until the age of 16. At the age of 4, Miss Immie joined a performing arts school where she took part in singing, dancing, and acting classes. This led her to perform at prestigious venues like the O2, Sadler’s Wells, and the London Palladium.
In 2020, Miss Immie joined Advance School of Dance, where she has started her professional training and valuable experiences.
She is fully involvement with the dancers examinations and was our Head of Wardrobe for our 5-year anniversary show,(what a task!). She is constantly working behind the scenes at Advance to bring the magic to life.
Miss Immie is part of our Mini Saturday College team where she teaches Musical Theatre, Street dance and Acrobatics. Miss Immie always likes to pay thanks for the opportunity at Advance but it is her drive and passion for dance that has her with our team today.
Miss Holly
TBC
Miss Ella
Head Girl
Miss Ella started dancing back in 2017 and was one of the first pupils of the Advance School of Dance, and is super passionate about dancing and performing.
Miss Ella has represented Advance all around the country at different competitions, taking home numerous overall awards such as 'Best Technique' and 'Most Promising Dancer'. Miss Ella was awarded an 'honours medal' at All England Regional Finals, and is British Arts National Champion in numerous categories, including solos, duets, trios and group dances.
Ella represented ‘Team England’ and the Dance World Cup 2024 in Prague, where she beat 100s of other entries from around the world and came home Musical Theatre World Champion in her trio.
Miss Ella was awarded a full scholarship to attend the Brighton Academy University to study musical theatre full time on the BA(Hons) degree course, but chose to defer this place and continue her training and teaching at Advance and continue to serve as Head Girl.
Miss Ella has been a part of numerous professional pantomimes at both the Wilde Theatre and The Hexagon Theatre, performing as a member of the junior ensemble.
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Miss Ella assists classes in modern, tap, ballet, lyrical, commercial, musical theatre and acro whilst also maintaining her own training in all genres, always striving to improve and be the best version of herself. Ella is super passionate about inspiring the next generation of Advancers and all our dancers absolutely love Miss Ella!
Miss Ava
Duty Head Girl
TBC
