Robyn Baker - Ballet
Aged 16 Robyn was awarded a full scholarship to Elmhurst Ballet School where she completed her training and graduated at 19 with a Higher National Diploma and ISTD teaching qualifications in both Ballet & Modern. Robyn went on to dance at The Grand Opera House, Belfast, with QDOS productions before joining Carnival Cruise Lines, with whom she travelled extensively for 3 years as a featured singer and dancer. On returning home in 2007, Robyn began teaching. She has continued her ISTD teachers qualifications and last year was awarded her Licentiate in Classical Ballet.
In 2010 Robyn founded Sussex Youth Ballet Company with the aim of nurturing talent and inspiring young dancers to continue with their weekly ballet classes. She has since choreographed and produced 8 original productions.
Sam Hills - Jazz
Biography coming soon
Charis Holdsworth - Tap
Charis completed her professional dance training at Bird College, and gained a first-class honours degree in Dance and Theatre Performance.
After leaving college, Charis worked as a professional dancer and dance captain in contemporary, cabaret and commercial shows. Her career as a dancer allowed her to work with a variety of choreographers and enabled her to travel throughout Europe, South America, Asia and South Africa.
Charis holds the ISTD Level 4 Certificates of Dance Education in Ballet, Tap and Modern Dance and is also a qualified Body Control Pilates Instructor. She currently teaches at the Drusilla Duffill Theatre School in Burgess Hill, Grace Dance Academy in Worthing, and also runs her own adult tap and Pilates classes.
Charis enjoys choreographing and has had the pleasure of creating pieces for Brighton Dance Diversion and Sussex Youth Ballet Company. She is looking forward to getting creative with the Dance2Advance students and to share her love of tap dance with them.
André Koschyk - Modern
André was born in Germany and trained at Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts in England.
After a career as a singer and dancer in Musical Theatre he and his wife taught at their own dance school in Ulm, Germany for 17 years where they also run a vocational teacher training course.
André choreographed various musicals for a college near Frankfurt, is an examiner for the ISTD for Modern Theatre and Tap, approved tutor for the ISTD teacher training program DDE and a member of the new Advanced 1 MTH, New MTH Grades and Tap Grades teaching team.
He teaches regularly on various summer schools including the ISTD summer school in Italy and now lives near Munich, Germany and freelances as a tutor for Jazz/Modern, Tap, Ballet and Musical Theatre.
Lucy Nelson - Contemporary
Lucy started dancing with the West Midlands Youth Ballet and began her contemporary training with William Louther. She went on to study at the RambertSchool of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, attaining a HND in dance. She danced professionally with contemporary dance companies such as Moving Visions, Ijad and NuTempo. She then gained her Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies, becoming a registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance. She now has over 10 years extensive experience teaching RAD ballet classes in London and Sussex, running her own school, Leap & Bound Dance School, in Brighton, as well as for the Rennie Dance Academy, successfully preparing children for RAD exams and choreographing for shows. She also teaches the new ISTD Contemporary syllabus.