The Urdang Academy

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The Urdang

Tutors

Paul Hack LSSM(Dip), TIDHA, MIFPA Cert Ed(PA)
(Head of Production/Treatment Manager)
Paul fulfilled his musical theatre and dance training in Melbourne, Australia. He moved to London in 1994 and became a full time faculty member of Urdang Academy in 2003. His job titles include Head of Production, Treatment Manager (a fully qualified sports massage therapist and aromatherapist), In-house Choreographer and Careers Advisor. Prior to his engagement with Urdang Academy, Paul performed in several musicals including Fosse, Chicago, Oh! What A Night (performer and resident director), Copacabana, My Fair Lady, Go Hollywood and 42nd Street.

		Paul Harvard (Head of Musical Theatre) Paul trained at Rose Bruford College (BA Hons. Actor-Musicianship) and at Middlesex University (PGCE Music). He has worked professionally as both a Musical Director and as an Actor. Musical Direction credits include The History Boys (National Theatre) which won the Olivier Award for Best New Play 2004, The Fantasticks (Harrogate Theatre), Me, Myself and I (Orange Tree Theatre) and Dreams From a Summerhouse (Watermill Theatre). Acting credits include The Gondoliers (Apollo Theatre) which won the Barclays TMA Award for Best Musical 2001, Fiddler on the Roof, which won the same award in 2002, Piaf, Love in a Maze and The Firebird (all for the Watermill Theatre). Paul has taught at Italia Conti, Webber Douglas and Mountview and has been at Urdang Academy since 2005.

		Susie Cooper (Head of Degree) Trained Royal Ballet School. Former dancer and choreographer with Ballet Rambert (now Rambert Dance Company) and Scottish Ballet. Full-time tutor at Royal Academy of Dance 1983-2006, teaching on international Summer Schools and on all Academy degree programmes. Choreography tutor at Royal Ballet School. Author Staging Dance (A&C Black 1998). Awarded PhD from University of Kent at London Contemporary Dance School in 2006.

Sarah Baker made her stage debut at the age of five as leader of the Pink Elephants. Since then she’s danced from one place to the next never looking back. After graduating from the Professional Training Programme at the Quinte Ballet School (Belleville, Canada), Sarah moved to Toronto to study at the National Ballet School of Canada. She has been fortunate to tour from one end of Canada to the other, and has studied, taught and choreographed in New York, Chicago, Israel and now London.

Kasper trained at the Urdang Academy lower and upper schools from 1989 - 1992. His work as a performer includes the title role in THE SNOWMAN (West End & BBC film), PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (National tour and motion picture), MY FAIR LADY (West End) and FAKING IT - BALLET DANCER TO WRESTLER (Channel 4 - BAFTA). His work as a choreographer includes THE CLASSICAL BRITS (TV), COMEDY SHUFFLE (BBC), BOND (DVD). Kasper Teaches Ballet at The Urdang Academy.

		Maggie Foyer. ARAD PDTC (Dipl) BA, MA Maggie Foyer. ARAD PDTC (Dipl) BA, MA in Education, MA in Literature. Initial ballet training in South Africa. Further study in London, (Errol Addisan, Pat Norman, Eileen Ward) Monte Carlo, (Marika Besobrasova) and New York (Merce Cunningham, Alvin Ailey School, Nat Horne). Danced with State Ballet Company in Johannesburg, South Africa and West Australian Ballet. Freelance dancer in contemporary dance and musical theatre in UK. Guest teacher contracts include Terese Carreno Ballet in Caracas, National Ballet of Portugal, National Ballet of Iceland, Ballet de Euskadi, Spain, London Contemporay Dance Company, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures. Teacher at the Hammond School, Central School of Ballet, Elmhurst Ballet School and Lewisham College in UK, also Royal Swedish Ballet School and High School for Performing Arts in Amsterdam. Regular dance critic and writer for ’Dance Europe’ and member of the Critic’s Circle. Lecturer in Humanities for the Open University.

		Susan James Susan trained at the Wessex School of Dancing, Bournemouth and Arts Educational School, London before dancing extensively in France and Italy in opera ballet companies, in various films and on television. She sucessfully founded her own school in Rome and presently is preparing a PhD proposal at Middlesex University in music for the ballet class and the PGCE at the University of London. She holds a BPhil (hons.) in Ballet and Contextual Studies and is a fully qualified teacher for both the RAD (ballet) and ISTD (ballet, modern, tap and national). She is a council member of the European Association of Dance Historians and is also currently experimenting on the use of contemporary classical music for ballet choreography with a composer.

		Thomas Small Thomas graduated from London Contemporary Dance School with a BA (hons) degree. In 2000, Thomas established his own company Smallpetitklein and has since won many awards and commissions for his work including the prestigious Bonnie Bird New Choreography Award and the Robin Howard Foundation Commission. He has also been short-listed for the Peter Darrell award in 2003 and The Place Prize in 2006

		Phillip Michael Thomas Philip is currently dance captain at Mary Poppins. Other credits include: Fame, Mamma Mia (West End) and Cinderella (New Victoria,Woking. In 1997 he became the winner of a British Telecom choreography competition at the Royal Festival hall and, in the same year, created a tap duet with Catherine Zeta Jones for a charity Concert.

		Ben Tribe Ben trained at The Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts and since graduating has performed in Beautiful and Damned, Cats, Babes In Arms, My One and Only, Dance Captain Magic of The Musicals and on Jane McDonald Summer Spectacular, Spirit of the Dance, Wayne’s World of Classical Ballet, Lido La Tournee, The Great Dance. Ben Has also performed in 5 seasons of Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs as Dance Captain, starring Lilly Savege. Film and T.V. include Les Passion (Shirley Bassey) The Man Who Knew Too Little (Bill Murray) dancing for Robbie Williams on the Brit Awards 1999, Wayne Sleep’s 50th Birthday celebrations, Showtime At The Stadium, The Generation Game and most recently The Late Late Show, Dublin