Elaine Holland

St Bede’s Legat School of Dance is set to move into an exciting and ambitious new era with the appointment of Elaine Holland as it new Director.

Elaine Holland is hugely respected throughout the educational dance world for the outstanding quality of her teaching as well as her fantastic track record in placing her graduates into renowned fulltime vocational schools and colleges such as: the Royal Ballet School, the English National Ballet School, Elmhurst School of Dance, Central Ballet School, Bolshoi Academy, London Contemporary Dance School, Rambert Academy, Laban, Royal Academy of Dance, Laine Theatre Arts, Bird College, London Studio Centre, Performers College and Millennium.

Her appointment from September means that the Legat ethos of ensuring a stimulating and professional environment of rigorous dance tuition with ballet at its core, coupled with a strong academic curriculum, will develop apace and take Legat into fresh and thrilling times that will create tremendous opportunities for our students.

She was attracted to the Legat School because of St Bede’s philosophy to be ambitious for all students and to constantly encourage them to expect more; more of themselves, more of their teachers and more of the opportunities on offer.

She believes implicitly that students should have the chance to study GCSE and A Level Dance as part of the Legat programme as well as being encouraged to take a wide variety of other GCSEs and A Levels to help prepare them for life beyond St Bede’s.

Since 2006 Elaine has been the Artistic Director at the Dance School of Scotland, teaching and guiding students along their artistic path, whilst working with academic staff to make sure students achieve their optimum in the classroom as well.

Elaine followed a three year Teacher Training Programme at the Royal Academy of Dance before studying Philosophy in Ballet and Contextual Studies at the University of Durham.

Her dancing career began in the Corps de Ballet of the Southern Ballet Company where she was soon promoted to soloist, working with Anton Dolin and Robert Mead as well as other Royal Ballet and Rambert dancers. She was a dancer with, and founder member of, Focus on Dance, touring and performing as well as running educational workshops and lecture-demonstrations. She has taught ballet in Greece, Hong Kong and New Zealand as well as the London Contemporary Dance School and the Royal Academy of Dance.