Elmhurst Ballet School Welcomes Guest Teachers For The Autumn Term 2018

On behalf of Elmhurst Ballet School, the associate school of Birmingham Royal Ballet, Principal Jessica Wheeler and Artistic Director Robert Parker are pleased to welcome three new ballet teachers to the school's artistic faculty for this autumn 2018.

Iain Mackay, Sander Blommaert and Philip Page bring a wealth of dance performance and teaching experience to the school and will coach Upper School Year 13 and 14 men during the autumn 2018 term as the students enter their final stages of training and work towards a professional career in the competitive ballet arena.

Iain Mackay will teach Year 13 and 14 men this autumn. Iain danced with Birmingham Royal Ballet for an incredible 18 years, and after 14 years as Principal dancer he retired from dance performance in January 2018 to assume the post of Artistic Director of the prestigious Yorkshire Ballet Summer School.

As a dancer, Iain created many roles at Birmingham Royal Ballet including the Prince in David Bintley's 2010 production of Cinderella. He is also known for performances as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, the Third Seminarian in Carmina Burana and most recently for creating Prospero in David Bintley's 2016 production of The Tempest. Iain was the Royal Academy of Dance's inaugural Male Dance Ambassador in 2016.

Belgian dancer and teacher Sander Blommaert will coach the Year 14 men this autumn during the first term of the students' final and graduate year at the school. Sander is a former First Artist of The Royal Ballet. He trained at The Royal Ballet Upper School and graduated into the Company in 2010 and was promoted to First Artist in 2015. He retired from The Royal Ballet in 2016 and is now a qualified and award-winning ballet teacher. Through his dance and teaching work he has accrued an impressive following on social media, including Instagram.

Also joining Elmhurst's artistic faculty this autumn and teaching Year 13 men is Philip Page, a freelance ballet teacher and a recipient of the coveted Royal Academy of Dance's Professional Dancers' Teaching Diploma. Philip trained at Arts Educational and English National Ballet schools and his career to date links him with many dance organisations including the Royal Opera House, London Studio Centre and Central School of Ballet.

Also joining the teaching staff at Elmhurst this academic year, and following one of the school's most successful examination results, are Helen Beddows, teacher in charge of art, and Jane Bradbury, teacher of English.