New Work: ‘Therese Raquin’, Finborough Theatre/Park Theatre, London; ‘Soul Music’ Rose Theatre, Kingston; ‘Lift’, Soho Theatre, London/NY – WhatsOnStage nomination for Best Original Score 2014. (Lift is now being licensed all over the world, productions include: Mexico, New Zealand, Korea and California.) ‘Pinocchio’ & ‘101 Dalmatians’, Castle Theatre, Wellingborough; ‘Defect’, Arts Educational, 2015 – still in development with a Korean production planned for 2019; ‘Othello’ and ‘The Tempest’ Stafford Shakespeare Festival, 2016 & 2017; ‘Pack’ and ‘Hindle Wakes’, Finborough Theatre. As an arranger and musical director Craig has worked on numerous concerts/musicals and albums. Some include: Kerry Ellis (Self-titled new album); No Space for Air & Rush of Life (Julie Atherton); The Franks; Lift – Original Concept Album; Therese Raquin – Original Cast Album. He is currently working on a commission for Theatre Royal Stratford East called ‘Sinking Water’, a new chamber musical about the life of Archibald MacIndoe – ‘The Guinea Pig Club’ with Andrew Doyle and ‘Shadowthief’, a piece of Dance Theatre for Children.
Shay trained at Bird College of Dance, Music & Theatre Performance, Musical Theatre & Performing Arts. Brit School of Performing Arts. Shay is a driven artist who seeks variety, with a focus on developing choreographically. Mixed with his passion, athleticism and originality, which he intends to bring to an ever-expanding and exciting theatre industry.
Warren is a Tony Award winning Director/ Choreographer: most recently choreographed the Tony Award Nominated revival of The Music Man starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster at The Winter Garden Theater. Tony Award nomination for Best Choreography. Conceived, directed and choreographed the sold out world tour of Hugh Jackman, The Man. The Music. The Show. Broadway: Directed and Choreographed the Tony nominated Best Musical After Midnight at the Brooks Atkinson Theater, (Tony Award Winner for Best Choreography. Tony Award nominee for Best Director), Chaplin at the Barrymore Theater, Hugh Jackman : Back On Broadway at the Broadhurst Theater, the critically acclaimed, Tony nominated revival of Finian’s Rainbow at the St James Theatre and A Tale of Two Cities at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre; Choreographed the Tony nominated revival of Kiss Me Kate…Tony Award nomination for Best Choreography (Studio 54), the Tony Award winning revival of Hello, Dolly! (Starring Bette Midler at the Shubert Theater), She Loves Me (Studio 54), On The 20th Century (starring Kristin Chenoweth at The American Airlines Theater), The Mystery Of Edwin Drood, (Studio 54), A Christmas Story (Lunt Fontanne) and the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies (starring Bernadette Peters) at the Marriot Marquis Theater. He directed and choreographed the 2015 New York Spring Spectacular starring The Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall. In 2018 he premiered a new ballet for New York City Ballet called Something To Dance About. Warren has been nominated for four Tony Awards, eight Drama Desk Awards, for Outstanding Direction and Outstanding Choreography, and an Emmy award for Choreography. Warren is a winner of the Tony Award, three Outer Critics Circle Awards, two Drama Desk Awards and the prestigious Astaire Award for choreography. Selected additional New York credits include: Directed the 40th Anniversary of the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, directed and choreographed Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman’s critically acclaimed new Broadway musical Harmony at the Folksbeine Theater, conceived, directed and choreographed Jessica Vosk at Carnegie Hall, Me & My Girl (City Center Encores!); On Your Toes (City Center Encores!); and Cotton Club Parade (Jazz at Lincoln Center and City Center); Choreographed Carousel for the New York Philharmonic, (Avery Fisher Hall); Girl Crazy, On The Town, Finian’s Rainbow,
Juno and Stairway To Paradise (all Encores! at City Center); 101 Dalmatians (Madison Square Garden / U.S Tour); You Again (NY Fringe Festival); Working (Zipper Theatre); Slut! (ATA); Roundabout 40th Anniversary Gala, Roundabout 50th Anniversary Gala and The 24 Hour Musicals at The Public Theatre. His Tony Award winning Broadway show After Midnight is currently being performed around the world on Norwegian Cruise Line, along with a brand new commission of the musical HAVANA! a Cuban inspired original musical. Regional Credits include: Directing and choreographing The Secret Garden (Ahmanson Theater Los Angeles), choreographing Hello, Dolly! 1st national tour, starring Betty Buckley; Directed and choreographed the Australian Arena Tour of Hugh Jackman, from Broadway to Oz; Produced, directed and choreographed the pre Broadway tour of Hugh Jackman In Performance (Curran Theater San Fransisco, Princess Of Wales Theater Toronto); choreographed The Sting, starring Harry Connick Jr (Paper Mill Playhouse); Follies (The Kennedy Center and The Ahmanson
Theater Los Angeles); Camelot (Stratford Shakespeare Festival Canada); A Christmas Story (all U.S. touring companies); Musical Staging for the Randy Newman revue Harps & Angels (Mark Taper Forum Los Angeles); directed and choreographed the award winning Limelight (La Jolla Playhouse); directed and choreographed Buddy’s Tavern (The O’Neill Theatre Center, Richard Rodgers Award Winner); Lucky Guy (Goodspeed); choreographed Mame (The Kennedy Center); Dancing In The Dark (Old Globe Theater, San Diego); The Pirates Of Penzance (Paper Mill Playhouse, Goodspeed; CT Critics Circle Award for Best Choreography); The Bakers Wife (Goodspeed) and Pageant (Second City Chicago) He is represented on film and television by his direction, choreography and musical staging of PBS 50th Anniversary of Great Performances at Lincoln Center (PBS); The 68th & 69th Annual Tony Awards Broadcast (CBS); Six seasons of So You Think You Can Dance (FOX); Deception starring Hugh Jackman (20th Century Fox); She Loves Me (Broadway HD / PBS). Warren received a 2013 Emmy nomination for his work
on Carousel (Live at Lincoln Center, PBS); Also choreographed Hope and Faith (ABC); An Evening At The Boston Pops, Rogers & Hammerstein and Rogers & Hart (PBS); and Elton John’s music video Made In England.
Darren trained at the Allesley School of Dance, Coventry and Laine Theatre Arts.
He is currently the Associate Choreographer of Back To The Future the Musical and is currently putting the show on Broadway.
Other work includes Choreographer on Friendsical (UK Tour), UK Associate Choreographer on Kinky Boots at the Adelphi Theatre, UK Tour and Norwegian Cruise Line. Associate Choreographer for The Christmasaurus Live (Eventim Apollo), Choreographer for The End of Longing (Playhouse Theatre) and The Ruling Class (Trafalgar Studios), Associate Choreographer on Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Savoy theatre) and Resident Choreographer on Ghost the Musical (Piccadilly Theatre).
As a Performer in the West End, his work includes Dance Captain on Viva Forever (Piccadilly Theatre), Legally Blonde (Savoy Theatre), La Cage Aux Folles (Playhouse Theatre), Candide (ENO), The Lord of the Rings (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane), Guys and Dolls (Piccadilly Theatre), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (National Theatre), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (London Palladium), The Witches of Eastwick (Prince of Wales Theatre), Fosse (Prince of Wales Theatre) and Chicago (Adelphi Theatre).
Other theatre credits: Cats (Cyprus), Debbie Does Dallas (Oxford Old Fire Station), Beauty and the Beast (RSC, Stratford-Upon-avon), Saturday Night Fever (UK Tour). Film and Television: Disney’s Cinderella, Scenes of a Sexual Nature, Miss Marple: A Sleeping Murder.
Matt is an Olivier Award Winning Choreographer for his work on Newsies currently playing in London. Matt was also nominated for an Olivier Award for his work on Fiddler On The Roof, London. Matt is an alumni of Laine Theatre Arts. After graduating he enjoyed a successful career as a performer in the West End on tour and internationally. He has worked in many of the top performing arts insinuations as both a teacher, examiner, director and choreographer. As a director and choreographer his recent credits include; ROMAN HOLIDAY (Bath Theatre Royal); NEWSIES(Director and Choreographer); IDENTICAL(The Parent Trap musical Directed by Sir Trevor Nunn) and FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS(UK Tour); WARHOL (Workshop Directed by Sir Trevor Nunn); TABOO (In concert at the Palladium Theatre London); FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS (World Premiere 2021); BERLIN BERLIN (Germany); LOVESICK(Theatre J Washington DC); PARADE (NYMT); OKLAHOMA(Chichester Festival Theatre); AMOUR(The Charing Cross Theatre); FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (The Menier Chocolate Factory and the Playhouse Theatre West End); FLASHDANCE (UK and international Tour); FOOTLOOSE(UK and International Tour); LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS(UK and International Tour);THE BEAUTIFUL GAME (NYMT); THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS(The Royal Academy of Music); THE NIGHT PIRATES (UK Tour); THE PRODUCERS China and Asian Tour) Directing credits include: Associate Director on CARMEN LA CUBANA, (Sadlers Wells); Resident Director on The Railway Children (King’s Cross Theatre); Resident Director on West Side Story (UK Tour).
Derek trained at the Royal Ballet School and joined the Company in 1972. He rose to the rank of Senior Principal Dancer, dancing all the major classical roles and ballets by Macmillan, Ashton, Balanchine, Robbins, Bintley amongst others. He became assistant Artistic Director and resident choreographer at the Teatro del di Roma in 1990 and was invited to become Artistic Director of English National Ballet in 1993. He created many ballets for ENB including Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, Giselle, Paquita, Romeo and Juliet… Since 2001 he has choreographed Strictly Gershwin (2008) for English National Ballet’s Royal Albert Hall seasons and The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake for the Shanghai Ballet of China. He has also created the ballet Coppelia for La Scala Milan and 3 ballets for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Hungry Heart in collaboration with Bruce Springsteen and Simply Simon to music by Paul Simon and Anything Goes with music by Cole Porter. He has also created works for the National Ballet of Croatia: Swan Lake, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, The Lady of the Camellias and Paquita. He continues to work very closely with English National Ballet and restages all of his works for them. After a hugely successful opening season “and due to overwhelming popular demand” Strictly Gershwin was revived in 2011 and re-staged as a sell-out proscenium version touring the UK to great public acclaim. This was ENB’s most successful London season in the Company’s history! He is currently in the process of creating the full length ballet Hamlet for the Shanghai National Ballet and a new ‘In the round’ production of “Hoorah for Hollywood” for the Royal Albert Hall. In the 2015/16 season, revivals include Cinderella for the Croatian National Ballet, Strictly Gershwin for the Queensland Ballet, Lady of the Camellias for Teatro San Carlo Naples, Swan Lake for English National Ballet, Alice in Wonderland for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Romeo and Juliet for the Shanghai National Ballet and Chanson for the Royal Ballet School.
Tudor’s choreography for the West End Theatre includes: Call Me Madam, Dear Anyone, Underneath the Arches, Tommy, The Good-bye Girl, A Patriot for Me, Wonderland, Stepping Out and Jolson. He also directed and choreographed Hi-De-Hi!, Aladdin, (the British Theatre of Comedy), The Russ Abbot Palladium Show and Scrooge the Musical starring Anthony Newley. His long association with the BBC came about when he choreographed the BAFTA Award winning series Pennies from Heaven. He has worked extensively as a dancer both here and in the USA and appeared in over a dozen West End musicals. In 1992 he became a contract producer/director for the BBC and his work included; series 5 & 6 of the Russ Abbot show, Rock with Laughter, and writer/producer of the 1992 Children’s Royal Variety Performance and as a performer/choreographer/director on eight Royal Variety Shows. In 2003 Tudor wrote, devised and directed the opening Royal Gala for the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff. As well as being an accomplished pantomime Dame, he is a leading writer and director of Pantomime and is responsible for over 25 scripts currently in use throughout the UK.
Richard J. Hinds, a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy, is a NYC/London based Director and Choreographer. He worked on the Broadway productions of Company (Associate Choreographer), Come From Away (Associate Choreographer), Disney’s Newsies (Associate Director), Jekyll and Hyde (Associate Director/Choreographer), Il Divo: A Musical Affair (Assistant Director) as well as the West End production of Elf (Associate Choreographer). He served as the Associate Director/Choreographer for the Public Theatre and London’s National Theatre’s productions of Here Lies Love.
Richard’s directing and choreography credits include 5 Star Theatricals, The REV Theatre Co., Pittsburgh CLO, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe, Deaf West, Paper Mill Playhouse, Ogunquit Playhouse, Gateway Playhouse, Flat Rock Playhouse, Capital Repertory Theatre and the New Theatre.
Richard’s television credits include Encore! (Disney+), Bring It!, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Macy’s Commercial, America’s Got Talent, Good Afternoon America (featuring Liza Minnelli), and The Bethenny Show (featuring Coco Austin).
Richard has directed and choreographed shows for Norwegian Cruise Line, Azamara Cruises, Hershey Park, Oath, 54 Below as well as numerous event for BC/EFA (Red Bucket Follies, Broadway Bares, Easter Bonnet).
Richard’s Associate credits include Up Here (La Jolla Playhouse), 9 to 5 (National/International Tours), Disney’s High School Musical (National/International Tours), A Christmas Story: The Musical (Kansas City Repertory Theatre/5th Ave Theatre), The Last Goodbye, The First Wives Club (The Old Globe), Pippin (CTG and Deaf West), A Wonderful Life (Paper Mill Playhouse), Broadway Under The Stars (NYC & Company), Frankenstein (37 ARTS, Off-Broadway), Drama Desk Awards (Hammerstein Ballroom) and Samsung Unpacked (Radio City Music Hall).
Jacqui trained at Bush Davies School, Alvin Ailey and Broadway Dance Centre. She began her career in Contemporary dance and worked with the David Storey Dance Company in New York .Musical Theatre tours include: Chess; Oklahoma (both as Dance Captain); Heathcliff (UK Tour and Hammersmith Odeon); Isabella in Pickwick (Chichester, UK Tour and Sadler’s Wells Theatre) and The Jazz Dancer in Song and Dance. West End includes: Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (London Palladium); Mona in Chicago (Adelphi Theatre); Featured Soloist in Fosse (Prince of Wales); My Fair Lady (National Theatre and Royal Drury Lane) and Beautiful and Damned (Lyric Theatre),all original cast. Television includes: The Entertainers; Children in Need (1991, 97); Laurence Olivier Awards; Royal Variety Show (1991, 94, 97); Children’s Royal Variety; Des O’Connor Show; Viva Diva with Shirley Bassey; Brian Connoly Show; This Morning; Sunday Night at the London Palladium with Bruce Forsyth, Byron for BBC Television.Videos include: Joseph Megamix, Emma Bunton’s Maybe, which included appearances on Top of the Pops, CD:UK, Des and Mel, The UK Style Awards, The Kelly Show and No 42 at the Kumars to promote the single. Jacqui has recorded five cast albums Joseph, Pickwick, Heathcliff, Chicago and My Fair Lady, and she also appears on the Ute Lemper album All That Jazz. More recently Jacqui appeared in The Live Sound of Music for ITV, Grey Dogs, Disney’s film Beauty and the Beast, Mama Mia Here We Go Again and Tomorrow Morning.Jacqui is proud to have a LaDuca boot named after her, called “The JJ”.
Michael began his tap training in Hong Kong at the age of 5 under the guidance of his mother before attending full-time training for 3 years at Laine Theatre Arts (where his mother also trained!)
It was during his upbringing in Hong Kong that he worked his way through the ISTD Tap syllabus, whilst actively participating in both amateur and professional productions with companies such as Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation, ABA Productions & Baz&Maz. He also had the opportunity to play young Cosmo in the Australian based David Atkins touring production of Singin’ In The Rain. He also performed in a number of corporate gigs for companies such as HSBC and Dunhill.
Upon completing his ISTD examinations, he wanted to broaden his tap skills. His mother had been teaching in Taiwan at Tap Festivals and recommended that he came along to expand his ability. It was at the 2007 Taipei City Tap Festival that he learned from the likes of Van Porter, Keiji Ichino and Barbara Duffy. During the festival, Barbara Duffy had recommended that he applied for the Pre-Professional Programme at Tap City (New York’s annual tap festival). Thanks to her, Michael was awarded the Gregory Hines scholarship and a place on the programme where he was taught intensively and performed under the guidance of Jason Janas. Having learnt so much that summer, Michael decided to re-apply the following year and was successfully granted the scholarship once again, where Chloe Arnold taught him.
On his holiday breaks during his training at Laine, he re-visited New York independently and attended/performed at another Taiwan Tap Festival as well as Hong Kong’s Tap Festival. He has had the privilege of being taught by various current masters of tap including Michelle Dorrance, Nicholas Young, Jason Samuel Smith, Derrick Grant, Dormeshia-Sumbry Edwards, Melinda Sullivan and Sarah Reich.
Alongside teaching, Michael has most recently appeared in the following productions:
Anything Goes (Barbican Theatre)
Billy Elliot (Leicester Curve)
42nd Street (Paris – Theatre Du Chatelet)
Laura is a former soloist of The Royal Ballet and is Head of Ballet at Laine Theatre Arts. She trained at The Dance School of Scotland and The Royal Ballet Upper School, joining The Royal Ballet company during her final year.
Company credits include Principal roles in Balanchine’s Rubies, Serenade and MacMillan’s Concerto, Myrtha (Giselle), Lilac Fairy (Sleeping Beauty), Mitsi Casper (Mayerling), and work with Mats Ek, Christopher Bruce, Alistair Marriott and Christopher Wheeldon.
Other work includes, creating and performing at The Royal Opera House with Magpie Dance, Monday Moves (with adult visually impaired performers), and performances with Joseph Toonga’s Two Sides to Every Swan and Kate Flatt’s Sleeping Beauty: Reimagined. Through ROH learning and Participation, Laura has created mass movement dance for all, with Everybody Dance, The Nutcracker.
Training: Centre of Dance, The Ritz Performing Arts Centre and Queensland Ballet Professional Year Program.
Theatre credits include: Rolf in Sound of Music (West End International) Up Next National Theatre 2022 Gala (Stephen Mear) Sailor Quartet in Anything Goes (Barbican Centre) Featured Ensemble in White Christmas (Dominion Theatre) Mr Mistoffelees in Cats (Kilworth House), Ensemble in Stephen Mear’s Guys and Dolls (Theatre Marigny, Paris) Ensemble in White Christmas (Leicester Curve), Joe in Flashdance (UK Tour); Ensemble in Chess choreographed by Stephen Mear (London Coliseum, West End), Ensemble in Johann Strauss Gala (UK Tour), Mr Mistoffelees in Cats (International Tour), Ensemble Production Dancer Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line.
Ballet credits: Corps de ballet with Queensland Ballet; Francois Klaus’ Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Carmen, Don Quixote, Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid and The Nutcracker, Guest Artist in Paris Opera Ballet’s 2009 Australian tour of Bolero (Roland Petit) and La Bayadere (Rudolph Nureyev), Company Dancer with Expressions Dance Company in Propel (Natalie Weir)Television credits: NHS Advertisement 2021 (Stephen Mear and Josie Rourke)Contestant in So You Think You Can Dance? (Australia 2010)
Jane has worked extensively as a Choreographer, Associate Choreographer and Performer on the West End and Internationally and joins London Theatre Runway to teach Musical Theatre Jazz & Body Conditioning.
Ainsley Ricketts starting dancing from a young age training at Dance Connection, at age 16 moved to London to further his training at The Urdang Academy.
Ainsley has worked in many fields of the industry from Dancing, Assisting and Choreography.
After finishing his training he went into performing in musicals such as Motown (Westend), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Westend), Barnum, Bugsy Malone and The Wedding Singing (UK Tour).
Throughout his training he was mentored by The UK’s Leading choreographer Dean Lee and assisted him on the likes of X Factor UK and many other projects.
Ainsley has had the privilege of dancing for Janet Jackson, Hailee Steinfield, Rina Sawayama – Cherry (Music video) & on Strictly Come Dancing (ITV).
He also has a huge Passion for teaching. Ainsley has taught in various studios over the world and teaches regularly at Londons top studios.
Ainsley Ricketts is the Proud Creator and Owner of the Orenda Dance Programme which launched December 2018.
Credits include: West Side Story, Mary Poppins, Wicked the musical, On The Town, Mathew Bourne’s Swan Lake & The Car Man. Disney’s feature film, DISENCHANTED.
Dance instructor and dance double to Timothee Chalamet for feature film ‘WONKA’.
Social media partnerships include; Dior, Prada, Givenchy Beauty, FENDI and Jo Malone.
Sam is thrilled to be back choreographing at the college he trained at 10 years ago.
Lucie trained at Laine Theatre Arts and after graduating she has gone on to work in various areas of the industry, from performing in musicals, music videos and concerts to assisting choreographers in pantomimes, various corporate events around the country and on luxury cruise liners travelling around the world.
Lucie had the honour of opening the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff as assistant choreographer.She has also worked in a variety of lingerie and hair shows.
She has extended her training as a dancer, teacher and choreographer in Germany, Los Angeles and New York.
Whilst training in New York Lucie was asked to teach at the esteemed Joffery school of Ballet. She has had the pleasure of being asked to choreograph pieces shown at Sadlers Wells Theatre and Disneyland Paris for Mardi Gras productions uk. She is also the choreographer for Paper Moon theatre Company which produces Music Hall productions around the country including the magnificent Alexander Palace Theatre, New Wimbledon Theatre and the home to Music Hall, the City of Variety in Leeds. It was with the Paper Moon Theatre Company that Lucie choreographed the Feast of St. George, an annual celebration in Trafalgar Square organsied by the Mayor of London, and more recently a celebration for the Queens platinum Jubilee.
Lucie is currently a member of the jazz faculty at Laine Theatre Arts where over the last 12 years she has had the pleasure of teaching and supporting the next generation of artists and performers.
She is also in the process of setting up her own dance company, ‘InnerSense Dance’, where she hopes to extend her choreography further by choreographing for corporate events, live action performances, TV appearances, fashion shows and corporate entertainment.
Gerry trained at Laine Theatre Arts from the age of seven. After completing his professional training he worked with most of Britain’s leading choreographers, directors and producers. He became one of the country’s f oremost dancers and appeared in all aspects of commercial theatre. As a successful choreographer, Gerry is in demand both in Europe and the UK. His work includes the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games, Telethon (Carlton TV), Premier League Pre-Match Entertainment, as well as for shows on LWT, Sky TV, TV Asia, Italian, German, Belgian and Dutch TV. Gerry currently teaches at Laine Theatre Arts and is committed to developing young talent. He has choreographed the students in cabaret, trade, pop videos/TV, and hair/fashion shows as well as many college productions. In 1997 Gerry won the Carl-Alan Teachers Award for Stage, Ballet, Tap & Modern. Projects include ‘The Last Salute’ – a comedy series for the BBC, as well as staging various plays such as ‘Bouncers’ (Mercury Theatre, Colchester). To date Gerry has staged and choreographed three musicals, Encore! Eternal Flame, and a tribute tour to Elvis; a world cruise for P&O, TV Specials, Greasemania, Abbamania 2, Madonna-mania, Elvismania and Discomania 2 (LWT-Granada TV), and in November 2004 Gerry choreographed ‘The Royal Gala Show’ for the New Welsh Millennium Centre (Cardiff) and over 40 pantomimes! And more recently, Gerry has taken on the role of Artistic Director and Choreographer for Voyage of Discovery Cruise Line. As always, Gerry would like to dedicate his work to his two delightful daughters – his ‘greatest achievement to date’.
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