Edinburgh Dance Academy
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LRAD, ARAD , AISTD, Examiner of the Royal Academy of Dance
After ten years of dancing, acting and teaching overseas Julie Mitchell created the Edinburgh Dance Academy. Now in its twenty-second year.
EDA has studios throughout Edinburgh and has recently opened the first of our planned purpose fitted dance studio in the west of Edinburgh. In the Academy’s lifetime it has grown from Julie teaching every class, in each discipline, to one of Edinburgh’s premier dance school with experts in each discipline together providing fantastic tuition to over 1000 pupil sessions per week. Alongside regular classes in ballet, modern, jazz, tap, commercial, contemporary, acro and hip hop the Academy also has performance and competition classes. This year will also see EDA provide dancers for the King’s Pantomime for the eighteenth year.
Julie Mitchell is an examiner for the Royal Academy of Dance and travels the world lecturing and examining children and teachers alike. Julie Mitchell is also a Certified Teacher in Progressing Ballet Technique, PBT Europe. Pupils at the Academy have the opportunity to take examinations to the highest level and have achieved exceptional results. There is also a non-exam route for children who prefer a less structured approach. Various other styles of dance and performance skills are also taught in Performance Groups.
Former students have also gone on to dance with the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Portuguese National Ballet and many other classical and modern companies throughout the world. EDA has its own “Chance to Dance” scheme which helps young dancers.
Julie is a steadfast supporter of students who have chosen to pursue a career in dance. Several, with her encouragement and tuition now have their own dance schools in Edinburgh and beyond and continue to seek her advice.
We take great pride in delivering the best experience for all associated with the EDA family. It is straightforward to measure success, whether in exam results, grades achieved, competitions won, numbers of students or trophies displayed. These are all well worth the effort and application of everyone involved and proves that the required elements of a good dance school are in place. However, what makes it very magical for us, is to see children develop great social and life skills, in part, through the discovery and love of dance. This can be to see them develop the self discipline required, to see the delight on their faces when they finally achieve that challenging movement that had eluded them, to help them understand how good nutrition can help in all aspects of their life, to see them develop their ability to express themselves, to help them develop good posture, to see them develop their confidence, to encourage them to be part of a team and support others, to watch them explore and understand different musical genres and cultures, to help them use exercise to relieve the stresses of everyday life, to see them become good citizens, above all to see them HAPPY.
We see most or all of these of these qualities and experiences in our students, and yes, that’s very magical and makes all the encouragement exceptionally worthwhile.
ARAD, AISTD
Jenni became part of EDA’s Teaching Faculty in 2004. Jenni was no stranger to us given that she trained at EDA! Miss Inglis quickly became the heart and soul of the Modern, Commercial, Tap, Competition and Contemporary disciplines in EDA and became Assistant Artistic Director in 2008. Miss Inglis has taken these disciplines, The Company and the EDA Competition Teams to incredible levels, frequently at national and worldwide competitions, most recently leading the competition teams to Spain for the Dance World Cup and bringing home a World Championship Gold medal (along with lots more).
Jenni’s choreography and leadership have been on display at some of the UK’s most prestigious venues and she is developing as a leading choreographer in the UK. Miss Inglis is much in demand for guest teaching and judging in Scotland and beyond and also plays a significant role at the Specialist Dance Unit at Broughton High School, in Edinburgh. Jenni Inglis is also now an Examiner of i-D Company and certified in the Alixa Flexibility Teachers/Coaches Course.
Miss Inglis has now been appointed Artistic Director – Modern Performing Arts. Early in 2017, Jenni became a Director and Shareholder of Edinburgh Dance Academy Limited.
There’s no point in being recognised as having the most capable teaching faculty without the best customer service and business support to match! Suzie Galloway brought much to EDA when she began to supply the above to us in 2001.
She brought the experience she had gained mostly in the hectic world of television and film production and applied it to the systems and procedures now used in EDA. Her ability to juggle the myriad of issues outside (and sometimes within!) the artistic side leaves us all in awe yet she always seems to have the time to listen and give us her wise counsel to students, parents and staff alike!
Everyone at EDA benefits hugely from her presence, skill and dedication. In early 2017, Suzie became a Director and Shareholder of Edinburgh Dance Academy Limited
Ellen joined EDA in 2014. Ellen trained in Glasgow before getting her teaching certificate from Edinburgh’s Dance For All Theatre School.
Before putting down roots in Edinburgh Ellen went off to fulfil two professional contracts with P&O taking her dancing all over the world with cruise ships. In 2018 Miss West was appointed the Head of EDA Junior School and looks after all of our little dancers in the most caring way. We are delighted to have Ellen as such a big part of the EDA Team. Ellen also takes our Adult dance classes as well as delivering the dance programme that EDA provide at George Heriots School.
Ellen West is also a Certified Teacher in Progressing Ballet Technique, PBT Europe and Acrobatic Arts.
Hannah Lewis started at EDA when she was just two years old in 2001! She has danced her way through life with EDA from Pre School all the way to Advanced 2 and is very much part of the EDA family. In 2012 Hannah started assisting in our junior classes and has gone from strength to strength. In 2016 Hannah took on the job of admin assistant in the EDA office. She is an absolute joy and has made life just that little bit (take that as “a lot”) better for everyone at EDA! Hannah is now our Office Manager and the school could not run without her!
Miss Kirsty Simpson joined us on a more regular basis in August 2018. Kirsty has been teaching for EDA for over 4 years as well as delivering a lot of our Active School sessions that we provide for many Edinburgh Schools. She has become very popular with all of pupils and parents. Kirsty is also a qualified nursery practitioner so loves working with our little ones. Kirsty is also a qualified Acrobatic Arts Teacher.
Miss Millie Thomas joined EDA in August 2018 and has been working with our Ballet Competition teams. Millie spent 6 years as an academy student with Northern Ballet and then continued on her training at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary.
Millie has a passion for teaching and choreography. During her training at Northern Ballet she assisted and taught on many outreach programmes as well as the open classes of creative movement and beginners ballet for children aged between 3-15. She has since performed in many professional productions including Northern Ballet’s Giselle. We are delighted to have her as a permanent fixture of the EDA team.
ARAD, RTS, CBTS, AISTD
Megan began her training in Scotland and it was here that she gained her RAD Advanced 2. It was after this that Megan successfully gained direct entry into second year at Elmhurst Ballet School. During her time at Elmhurst she was chosen to go on tour with Birmingham Royal Ballet. Her performance experience includes works such as The Sleeping Beauty (Wright), The Two Pigeons (Ashton) and Birthday Offering (Ashton). Her awards and scholarships include, Veronica Bruce Dance Memorial Trust – scholarship administered by Scottish Ballet, The Robin Cadbury Studentship Scholarship in partnership with Birmingham Royal Ballet, The Bryant Trust Scholarship 2012-2014 and The Barwell Charitable Trust Scholarship.
Megan has been teaching for some time now and has been responsible for preparing children for examinations, shows and auditions. She has also undertaken her CBTS qualification with the Royal Academy of Dance which she will complete this year. Megan is very much looking forward to joining the EDA team and is very excited to meet all of the students.
Aimee started with EDA as a pupil and like many others graduated on to become an assistant teacher and then onto becoming one of our much loved junior teachers! Miss Orr loves teaching our Junior School and also at our branch in Haddington. Miss Orr has been dancing professionally over seas for the last three months and has just taken a contract to dance in the Edinburgh Pantomime at the Festival Theatre this year!
