Parent of grade 4 student
My daughter has really enjoyed her ballet lessons. The is a great sense of camaraderie amongst the pupils in her class, particularly in the run up to a show. Miss Louise is a competent and very caring teacher who has high standards and manages to bring out lovely performances in her children. We have been extremely impressed.
History and what we offer
Kingston ballet school was founded in 1995 by Louise Jefferson who after 25 years is still running the school. Classes began with 20 students and under Louise’s guidance the school has now built to over 200 students ranging in age from three to eighteen. Several pupils have successfully auditioned for the Royal Ballet’s Junior and Senior Associate programmes and have been accepted into the Elmhurst Ballet School, the Sylvia Young Stage School, Stella Mann College of Performing Arts and Central School of Ballet. Past pupils include Ebony Thomas dancer with the company Ballet Black and actor Tom Holland, who trained at Kingston Ballet School in preparation for his role as Billy Elliot on stage in London’s West End.
The school’s ethos is to provide quality dance tuition to create an atmosphere in which your child’s love of dance can thrive. We aim to inspire children in a happy school with excellent standards.
Through our dedicated teaching of ballet, tap and modern dance we guide children from their first dancing steps to develop coordination and strength, good posture, self-expression and an appreciation of music to become skilled young dancers. We wish to give children the opportunity to have fun, develop new skills, make friends, and grow in confidence.
In our fun and imaginative dance classes we care for each individual child, giving each the opportunity to reach their full potential in an exciting, friendly and safe environment. We facilitate exam opportunities through the Royal Academy of Dance for ballet and the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance for tap and modern. Each term we have open classes for you to see your child dance and offer a tri-annual show in a professional theatre.
Our Teachers
Louise Jefferson
of Kingston Ballet School
B.Phil (Hons), LRAD, ARAD, AISTD, RAD RTS
Louise has been teaching ballet to children of all ages for nearly thirty years. On graduating from the College of the Royal Academy of Dance in 1991, where she completed a three-year ballet teaching diploma, she was awarded the prestigious teaching accolade of Licentiate of the RAD and prizes for Anatomy of the Dancer, Choreography and Most Outstanding Student.
Louise continued her studies and gained a Bachelor of Philosophy in Dance in 1999. She opened Kingston Ballet School in 1995 and has now been principal for 25 years; she is immensely proud of the pupils of the school and all that they have achieved.
As well as being a children’s tutor at the Royal Academy of Dance, Louise also teaches and mentors the undergraduate students as part of their degree and on the Licentiate program. Louise is a tutor of the prestigious Karsavina Syllabus which is unique to Faculty of Education at the Royal Academy of Dance
She is also a Continual Professional Development (CPD) tutor for the Royal Academy of Dance.
Jessica Cameron
BA (Hons) LRAD ARAD RAD RTS
Jess trained from the age of three at her local dance school in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, studying a variety of dance styles examined by the RAD and IDTA. She accomplished advanced levels of jazz and tap examinations and completed all of her RAD ballet graded and vocational examinations up to and including her Advanced 2.
Alongside dancing herself, since the age of 13, Jess has assisted teaching in ballet, tap, musical theatre and contemporary lessons, helping prepare, train and nurture students through examinations and showcases. At the age of 18, this love of teaching led her to undertake the BA (Hons) Ballet Education course at the Royal Academy of Dance where she graduated from in the summer of 2019 with a first-class degree. Whilst there, she also completed the Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Dance with distinction.
Throughout her studies in London, Jess has worked as a freelance ballet teacher and assistant in several well established and high achieving private dance schools and is now also qualified as a PBT (Progressive Ballet Technique) instructor.
Holly Grace
BA(Hons) LRAD ARAD ABATD RAD RTS
Holly began dancing at the age of 3 at the Scott Stevenson School of Dance in South Yorkshire, training in many styles including ballet, tap, modern, jazz and musical theatre. Holly completed examinations for both the BATD and RAD including achieving her Advanced 2. Throughout her years of performing, Holly won national scholarships for both ballet and tap, as well as many regional championships in multiple genres.
Holly’s passion for teaching emerged when she began assisting classes at her local dance school, which in 2019 led her to gain her associate teacher’s status with the British Association of Teachers of Dancing.
At the age of 18, Holly then moved to London to continue her teacher training with the Royal Academy of Dance. She graduated with a first-class degree from the BA (Hons) Ballet Education course as well as receiving the Rachel Cameron Prize from the Karsavina Heritage Award. She also gained a distinction in her Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Dance programme, receiving the prestigious Iris Truscott scholarship to fund her studies.
Alongside her training at the RAD, Holly worked as a freelance teacher and assistant for several well-established dance schools, teaching a range of styles.
Chantelle Swatridge-Smith
RTS LRAD ISTD DDE
Chantelle is an fully qualified RAD and ISTD teacher in Ballet, Modern and Tap and has been dancing for around 20 years studying a range of styles including Ballet, Tap, Modern, Jazz, Pointe, Street, Hip Hop, Commercial and Contemporary. Chantelle has worked her way through all the RAD Ballet and ISTD Modern and Tap exams from Pre-Primary right up to achieving her Advanced 2.
Chantelle studied at Chichester college for 2 years where she gained her BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Dance, achieving a triple Distinction* as well as her ISTD Level 4 Diploma in Dance Instruction. Chantelle went onto graduate from The Royal Academy of Dance with a 2:1 degree in BA (Hons) in Ballet Education which focused on Ballet and Contemporary training alongside Dance Education and Teaching. Furthermore, Chantelle was awarded a distinction for her Licentiate with the RAD qualifying her to add the letters RTS and LRAD after her name. To further develop her knowledge, Chantelle returned to Chichester College to advance her current ISTD qualification to a brand new Level 5 Diploma in Dance Education.
Alongside 5 years of teaching experience with a range of well-established dance schools, Chantelle has performed at many theatres around London and the south coast including The O2 Arena, The Mayflower Theatre Southampton, Fernham Hall, The Christchurch Theatre Bromley, The Kings Theatre Portsmouth, The Theatre Royal Winchester and London's West End Garrick Theatre, where Chantelle featured as a solo dancer in David Walliams stage production of Gangster Granny. Since graduating Chantelle has become a lead choreographer for Bodyrox Productions alongside owner Kirsten Skinner. Chantelle holds an enhanced DBS and is fully trained in emergency and paediatric first aid.
Mikayla Jones
Studying for BA (Hons), LRAD and RAD RTS
Mikayla is currently in her third year of studying for a BA (Hons) in Ballet Education at the Royal Academy of Dance. She has assisted and taught in several ballet school around London including the Dance School at the Royal Academy of Dance.
Locations
New Malden
Kingston Ballet School @
Malden Wanderers Cricket Club
Cambridge Avenue
New Malden KT3 4LE
New Malden
Kingston Ballet School @
New Malden Methodist Church Hall
Cambridge Road
New Malden KT3 4BY
