Masterclass workshops in lockdown
During lockdown, we were delighted to host a range of dance Masterclasses online...
What made all these sessions even more unique was that every guest tutor was a former CSBS student who has established a career in dance! The tutors led the sessions from their own homes through our Zoom platform and joined us from across Scotland, London, Germany and Paris! It was a wonderful opportunity for us to see them dance and also to inspire our current students who were able to learn and experience a wide range of dance styles and learn about many different aspects of dance and theatre as a professional career.
Here is a short introduction to the tutors, their biographies, and their workshops. Please take a few minutes to read about them and their success!
* Amber Ibrahim - taught Showdance - Amber trained and graduated from JazzArt UK. Amber has worked for DoPortugal Circus as a dancer touring Panama, with TED Group working as a dancer in Tenerife and is currently working for KLS International as a Dancer/Aerialist in Malta (suspended under lockdown just now though!). She is an amazing vocalist and has also mastered a wide range of circus skills.
* Andrew Halliday - taught tap fusion - Andrew started dancing with CSBS when he was ten and went on to train full time at Laine Theatre Arts in London. Since graduating he has performed in various dance contracts in France including several with Disneyland Paris and with the RB dance company, and has developed a huge love of tap and especially incorporating tap into modern jazz dance.
* Emma McTeague - taught MT jazz - Emma trained and graduated from JazzartUK. She has performed in hotels and theme parks around the UK and was in the ensemble of “Sleeping Beauty” at the Alhambra Theatre in 2018. She has just completed a contract in Japan where she worked as a performer at Tokyo Disney Resort.
* Andrew Coleman - taught Cruise dance - Since graduating from Northern Ballet School in 2014 he has been continually working for the last 6 years preforming with multiple Las Vegas Magicians such as Connie Boyd and Mark Bennick, as a back-up dancer for Lip Sync Battle and has worked with 3 of the worlds largest Cruise Lines companies (Costa, Princess & Carnival) as a dancer and dancer/singer. His work has allowed him to travel and perform all over the world including South Africa, Russia, Brazil, Greece, Norway and multiple US states and many others.
* Lauren Wilson - taught Pom Dance - Lauren studied at The Young Americans College of the Performing Arts granting her a Teachers Training Certificate in 2016. She then toured across U.S.A, UK, Ireland, Canada, Germany, Japan with the Young Americans in nine international music outreach tours. In 2018, was a performer in Disneyland Paris and now teaches across Scotland as well as performing professionally with the Scottish Rockettes and at Brewhemia.
* Kristina Lowe - taught Samba - Kristina has been working as a professional dancer performing onboard cruise lines, Disneyland Paris and corporate events around the UK. Prior to this she was a dance teacher with Central Scotland Ballet School teaching jazz, tap and also coaching Starshine Elite senior competition team. Kristina has just returned home from her third contract onboard Costa sailing around United Arab Emirates.
* Serena McCall - taught Lyrical - Serena is currently in her 3rd year of full-time training at Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham and will be moving to London in September to begin her training at the prestigious Rambert School for Contemporary Dance. Many of our dancers will know her from Instagram where she showcases her work with world renowned choreographers and photographers, and is an ambassador for dance brands across the world.
* Eva Simanavicius - taught fitness for dancers - Eva began full-time training at the Dance School of Scotland. From there, she has recently graduated from Bird College in London with a BA (Hons) Degree in Musical Theatre and is now also working towards her Level 3 Personal Training Qualification and Level 4 Nutrition Diploma. She is passionate about fitness and health and firmly believes that it is one of the main things that has benefited her as a dancer, by increasing strength, stamina and mobility.
* Duncan Anderson - taught modern ballet - Duncan trained full-time for 4 years at the Dance School of Scotland before training a further three years at Central School of Ballet in London and at Northern Ballet Company in Leeds. Since graduating with a First Class Honours Degree he has danced with Richard Chappell Dance, Northern Ballet, Ballet Ireland and was also in the original production of The Phantom of the Opera in Stockholm. Duncan also completed three tours with Rosie Kay Dance Company in the production of "5 Soldiers: The Body is the Frontline”, which not only caused a sensation across the UK but also at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Currently Duncan is dancing with Theater Krefeld und Mönchengladbach under the direction of Robert North in numerous ballets choreographed by Robert.
* Mia Musakambeva - taught MT jazz - Mia graduated from Jazzartuk! Since graduating Mia has performed as Aurora in the Pantomime ‘Beauty and the Beast’; sailed the seas with Norwegian Cruise Line as part of the inaugural cast of ‘Footloose’; performed in the SSE Hydro in ’The Steamie’; and was just making her West End debut in ‘Tina’ when the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
* Claire McAlister - taught lyrical - Following success with CSBS, Claire trained in PE at University where she began cheerleading and qualified as a coach, soon establishing our CSBS cheer team in 2009, Starshine. The team had instant success, including dancers being selected for national squads and Worlds competitions. Claire has also established a specialist school of dance excellence within Larbert High School, and Starshine has grown to include an award winning dance team with success at regional, national, European and Worlds levels. She has also been a guest tutor and judge at events across the UK, including working with choreographers such as Dane Bates. In 2011, she was runner-up in the Local Hero Awards for "Teacher/trainer of the year" following her for her determination and dedication to her dance team throughout her diagnosis and treatment for cancer over the year. What an amazing role model for all our young dancers!