Patrons

Dr Wayne Sleep OBE

Wayne Sleep has been a patron to the Urdang Academy for many years. He won a Leverhulme Scholarship to the Royal Ballet School in 1961 and joined the Royal Ballet Company in 1966. Later he became a Principal Dancer and had numerous roles created for him. He was appointed OBE in 1998.

Arlene Phillips OBE

Arlene Phillips OBE (born 22 May 1943) is an English choreographer, theatre director, talent scout and former dancer, who has worked in many fields of entertainment. She is most notable for being the choreographer of numerous West End and Broadway musicals, films and television shows, but is perhaps most famous for being a judge on the popular BBC1 television series Strictly Come Dancing from the show’s inception in 2004 until 2008. Arlene is currently a judge on ‘So You Think You Can Dance UK’.

Anthony Van Laast MBE

Anthony trained at the London School of Contemporary Dance, later joining the Company as both performer and choreographer.

Theatre includes: Sister Act, Bombay Dreams (London and Broadway – Tony award nomination); Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (worldwide – Laurence Olivier award nomination, Dramalogue award); Jesus Christ Superstar (UK and Broadway); Song & Dance (worldwide – Green Room award, Australia); Hair (Old Vic . Olivier Nomination). He has made shows for many people including Mika, Kate Bush, Sarah Brightman and Barry Humphries (Dame Edna) and in Las Vegas, Michael Crawford and Siegfried and Roy.


Films: Never Say Never Again, Excalibur, Hope and Glory, MAMMA MIA! and The Half-Blood Prince, the latest Harry Potter film.

In 1999 Anthony was awarded the MBE by Her Majesty The Queen for services to dance and choreography.

“I am thrilled to become a patron of the Academy, and hope to be able to use my knowledge, experience and expertise to give something back to the students just starting out”

The Rt Hon Lord Gilbert

The Rt Hon Lord Gilbert has served as a Government Minister in the United Kingdom under three Prime Ministers, since entering the House of Commons in 1970. He was Financial Secretary to the Treasury (1974-75): Minister for Transport (1975-76); and Minister of State for Defence (1976-79 and 1997-99).

He has been a member of a number of Select committees of the House of Commons, including the Expenditure, Defence, and Trade and Industry Committees. He was the senior opposition member of the Committee on Intelligence and Security from its creation in 1994 until April 1997. He was made a Privy Counsellor in 1978, and was elevated to the House of Lords in 1997. He serves several companies in Europe, the UK and the US as an adviser and board member.

Born in 1927, Lord Gilbert was educated at Merchant Taylor’s School and St John’s College Oxford. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in Canada, and has a PhD in International Economics and Statistics from New York University.