Personnel

Elisabeth Swan, FISTD, Enrico Cecchetti Diploma, Principal and Partner
Elisabeth has been with the school, as student and teacher, for over forty-five years, training for two years at the Royal Ballet School. In addition to her commitments with the school, she was Artistic Director of the Chelmsford Ballet Company from 1981 to 1999, and has been choreographer of the local professional pantomime since the late 1970's. She has danced extensively throughout the U.K. and has appeared on film and television with the Chelmsford Dancers.

As a guest teacher, Elisabeth has taken classes for the Cecchetti Scholars and Associates, the Mabel Ryan Award competition, and at the Cecchetti Centre in London. She has lectured at the annual Congress of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing and is organiser of the annual Cecchetti International Teachers’ Summer School held in Chichester. In 1995, the ISTD appointed her an examiner of the Cecchetti Classical Ballet Faculty and, in July of that year, she was awarded the Margaret Marsh Scholarship to attend the annual summer seminar of the Cecchetti Council of America in Michigan, USA. In 1998 Elisabeth became an examiner of Vocational Graded and teachers’ qualifying examinations. She is Chairman of the Cecchetti Society Classical Ballet Faculty committee and a member of the ISTD Theatre Faculties Board and the Cecchetti Society Trust, co-organiser of the prestigious Mabel Ryan and Barbara Geoghegan Awards and was, for two years, administrative director of the Cecchetti Centre, London.

Geoff Wheatley, Business Manager and Partner
Geoff provides Production Management, Stage & Workshop staff, and support services through his company, TheatreServe. His major client is Newpalm Productions with whom he has worked for more than 30 years. Geoff's experience includes national and international tours, summer seasons, West End, trade shows and exhibitions. Geoff's most memorable projects include a highly successful production of Sweeny Todd in the open-air theatre at London's Holland Park and the National tours of Lanza the Last Serenade, Hen Party, Scissor Happy and Ladies’ Night as well as Evita in concert.

Geoff's greatest achievement to date has been as production manager for the highly acclaimed Les Misérables concert which formed part of the Chelmsford Spectacular. He was responsible for co-ordinating the work of 200 artistes, a creative team in excess of 40 together with more than 30 technical and support staff who between them produced a concert that delighted an audience of 18,000.

Katie Da Costa (Modern, Tap, Jazz)
Katie has enjoyed dancing from the age of two and has always known what career she wanted to follow. She has been fortunate enough to have danced in Germany, Poland, France, Disneyland Paris and also at The London Palladium. Before undertaking a three year, full time course at The Centre Performing Arts College in Greenwich, South London, she had achieved A levels in Performing Studies, Textiles and Physical Education and Sport. At college she achieved her Foundation in Dance Instruction in Ballet, Tap and Modern Theatre Dance, and has almost completed her Certificate in Dance Education in Tap and Modern. As well as teaching at The Weston, Katie holds classes in Lawford and Upminster for students aged between 5 and 16 years.

Ruth Davies, BA Hons, LISTD, RAD RTS (Contextual Studies)
Ruth hails from Essex and holds her Associate teaching qualification in Ballet, Modern and National Dancing. She read for her BA Hons degree in Dance at London College of Dance in Middlesex which she gained with a 2.1. Since that time she has choreographed and produced a number of shows for Theatre Schools and has taught most dance styles. She currently runs her own dance school in Hertfordshire and is an ISTD Approved Tutor for the Foundation In Dance Instruction (units 2, 3 and 6) and the Certificate in Dance Education (units 5 and 8).
 

Ruth Farrin, BA(Hons), AISTD (Modern, Tap, Jazz & Ballet)
Ruth trained with The Weston and was an assistant teacher for three years. She has danced in pantomime at the Chelmsford Civic Theatre for many years and holds major examinations in Cecchetti Ballet, Modern Theatre, Tap and National Dancing. In 1999 Ruth gained her Associate teaching qualification in both Cecchetti Classical Ballet and Modern Theatre Dance. In September of that year she started a 3-year Dance Degree course at Middlesex University, where she has gained her Associate teaching qualification in National Dancing, and a BA(Hons) degree in Dance.

Tracy Fritschy, AISTD (Pilates)
Tracy’s early training was at The Weston before gaining a place at Laine Theatre Arts, Surrey. During her second year of training she achieved Ballet, National, Modern and Tap Associate teaching qualifications with Distinction and was consequently awarded the college diploma with the same. In her final year she was asked to teach for the college, assisted in the Christmas production in her role as head girl, and also appeared in various fashion shows, hair shows and cabarets.

Upon leaving college Tracy taught for a short while at The Weston before going to dance on cruise ships. After five years with the Cunard Line she returned home to train as a fitness instructor and personal trainer. Having later qualified as a Pilates instructor she has now been teaching this for the last eight years. Tracy finds great pleasure to be connected with The Weston once again.

Julie Holder, AISTD (Modern, Tap, Jazz & Musical Theatre)
Julie trained at Stage Door College where she gained teaching experience alongside dancing with a professional cabaret act. She has juggled teaching and dancing throughout her career, performing in pantomime and holiday parks in the UK as well as on cruise ships, with the Flintstones Show in Puerto Rico and in casinos in Slovenia. She was most recently a dancer on the Bollywood exhibition at Madame Tussauds. Julie is qualified in Modern, Tap, Ballet and National Dancing but is taking a sabbatical following the birth of her first child.

Linda Isaacs, FISTD, CDE (Ballet)
Linda’s early training was in Buckinghamshire but, after dancing professionally in the UK and Europe, she returned to England, married and moved to Essex where she resumed her training. She ran her own school for eighteen years and also taught for TheatreTrain and Southend-on-Sea Arts Council. Wishing to specialise in teaching Ballet she took up the position of Head of Ballet at a local Performing Arts College and stage school before moving to The Weston.

Linda is a choreographer for local amateur dramatic groups and a guest teacher for the Cecchetti Society. She has been the recipient of the Peter Pearson and Betty Major Scholarships gifted by the Cecchetti Society and is a member of the Cecchetti Group. She is Cecchetti Area Organiser for the South East, and an ISTD children’s examiner.

Pupils of Linda have been chosen to demonstrate at various Cecchetti events and many are now working in West End theatres, cruise ships, summer shows, pantomime and television.

Jessica Minty, FDI (Modern, Tap, Jazz, Ballet & Musical Theatre)
Born in Jersey Jessica moved to the UK in 2004 to further her dance training at Performers’ College in Corringham, Essex. Prior to this she had gained teaching experience in dance and swimming, and choreographed a cabaret show for the Jersey Hospice. Upon leaving Performers’ she toured as a dancer with Spirit Productions in Le Grand Cirque. An injury curtailed her performing career and Jessica moved on to teach Ballet, Modern Theatre Dance, Jazz, Tap, Hip-Hop and Musical Theatre. Jessica holds a Trinity College Diploma in Professional Dance, and is also a qualified Lifeguard.