I started ballet classes at the age of three, taking my RAD exams, in my hometown of Eindhoven in the Netherlands. I used to go to classes before school started at 7 o'clock in the morning! I joined the Bach ballet Group and performed in The Netherlands and toured around Europe in the holidays. After gaining my High School Diploma, I went to London at the age of 18 and was accepted onto the Teachers Training Course of the Royal Academy of Dancing. I graduated after three years and returned to the Netherlands to start teaching at my old ballet school. However, I missed dancing and returned to London where I joined the Stella Mann School of Dancing, to gain further qualifications. (Stella Mann, who started the school in 1946, still lives in Hampstead!)
I enjoyed dancing so much that I decided to audition and my first dancing job was in Birmingham with a company called Atmozphier Dance. We worked hard but also had a lot of fun. After that I worked with Paul and Judy Delme, danced on televison and spend time dancing in and organizing shows on cruise ships (the best time of my life!)
After performing for a few years I decided I wanted to teach and I started teaching at the Stella Mann College, West Street School, Royal Academy of Dance and directed the Youth Dance Theatre with my partner Linda Streat. After teaching for a few years I was asked to become an Examiner for the RAD and in 1996 I started a Degree course at Durham University (Dance and Contextual Studies). Whilst studying for this degree my daughter Anya was born in 1997. After the Degree I decided to take a PGCE in Dance at the Institute of Education, which I finished in 2005. So I've been studying a lot over the past few years. One just never stops learning!
At the present time I am still examining for the RAD and teaching at Stella's, the RAD, St Mary's and other schools, but am really looking forward to teaching you at the Royal School.