Mission statement
Downland Dance aims to offer dance tuition of the highest quality, in a friendly, supportive, and structured environment, and to encourage the artistic, academic, and spiritual growth of each and every student, instilling best practises around equality, diversity and fairness.
Downland Dance is an organisation comprised of a close group of Directors and Teachers, many of whom hold strong connections to the professional dance world. All of our teachers hold full DBS certificates, are first aid trained, and adhere to Downland Dance’s Safeguarding Policy. Read on to find out more about us.
Management
Desmond Kelly OBE
Non-Executive Chairman
Born in Zimbabwe, Desmond trained there before he began his professional career with London Festival Ballet (now English National Ballet), becoming principal dancer at age 21, and later working with many international companies including Royal New Zealand Ballet, The Royal Ballet and Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet.
He performed in Britain during the 1960s, and joined the Royal Ballet Companies in 1970, dancing the principal role in all the major classical repertoire and partnering many of the world‘s leading ballerinas including Margot Fonteyn, Antoinette Sibley, Merle Park, Natalia Makarova, Monica Mason (former Director of The Royal Ballet), Margaret Barbieri and Marion Tait (now Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Ballet Mistress). He is particularly noted for his interpretation of the Balanchine repertory, and he has created numerous roles for choreographers including Bintley, Carter, Corder, MacMillan, Seymour and Tetley.
Desmond has taught classical ballet to many international companies since 1985, becoming instrumental in the development of numerous dancers, particularly at Birmingham Royal Ballet, where he was appointed Assistant Director in 1990.
As Assistant Director, he was a member of Birmingham Royal Ballet‘s Senior Management Team and provided a communication and management link between the ballet staff and dancers, and the administration departments. He line-managed the Company’s Ballet Staff, was responsible for the welfare of the dancers in liaison with the Jerwood Centre for the Prevention and Treatment of Dance Injuries, and taught certain repertory to the Company, notably that of Balanchine and MacMillan.
Desmond was awarded an OBE in the 2005 New Year‘s Honours list, and was made an Honorary Doctor of Letters by Leicester University and the University of Birmingham in 2007. He directed BRB’s artistic team for Ballet Changed My Life - Ballet Hoo!, the education project documented on Channel 4 during autumn 2006, for which he was presented with a special award at the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards in 2008. He is married to former dancer Denise le Comte and has two children and four grandchildren.
Adam Harris ARAD
Artistic Director
Born in Oxford, Adam is a professional dancer with the Croatian National Theatre. He studied dance vocationally at Elmhurst Ballet School for 7 years, during which time he was invited to dance with Birmingham Royal Ballet on numerous occasions for productions such as: Beauty and the Beast, Petrushka, and The Nutcracker, before graduating in 2012 with a National Diploma in Professional Dance (Level 5). As a student, Adam relied on the classes at Downland Dance to help him stay in shape during school holidays! Since his graduation, Adam has gone on to perform to theatres all over the UK and Europe, as well as in Asia and America. His repertoire is comprised of a number of well known classical, contemporary and neoclassical ballets, and involves solo roles in some of the world’s most iconic ballets including: Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty.
Adam has been involved in numerous new world creations by leading choreographers including: Vladimir Malakhov, Patrice Bart, Jiri Bubenicek and others. Through his ongoing commitment to his dance career, Adam continues to expand and refine his artistic expertise, which he hopes to pass on to his students.
Adam is a full member of the Royal Academy of Dance, and holds the title of Associate of the Royal Academy of Dance (ARAD).
Adam’s experience on the stage, as well as his knowledge in the studio, enables him to oversee the artistic structure of the school and to promote an ethos whereby dance students of all ages are able to reach their fullest potential. Though Adam only teaches in the school when he can get to the UK, he devotes a great deal of time to helping set the artistic strategy, and the general running of the school. On top of this, he delivers master classes himself when he can, and arranges special events through his worldwide network of professional dancers.
Adam believes in openness, and makes himself available to Downland Dance members at any time via email or phone.
James Harris
Managing Director
Born and educated in Zimbabwe, Jim returned to the United Kingdom in 1980, and set up his Company, now based in Didcot, which he continues to successfully run. With 4 grown up children, one of which is Adam(!), he took on the role of a ‘Ballet Dad’ running Adam and his elder Sister backwards and forwards to ballet class several times a week. He followed, supported (and had the dubious pleasure of paying for) Adam’s professional education at Elmhurst Ballet School, and watched with pride as Adam graduated as a professional dancer, and entered the world as a Ballet Pro.
Currently, Jim maintains his connections with the ballet world as a Director of the Elmhurst Ballet School, and outside of that and his ‘day job’, is the Chair of the Governing Board at Hagbourne Primary School, and a Trustee & Treasurer of the British South Africa Police UK Regimental Association.
Cat Young
Non-Executive Director
Cat started ballet lessons aged 7 because her parents thought she needed to burn off some of her insatiable energy! She went on to undertake vocational training at Tring Park where she appeared in shows at the school, in the West End and on TV. Since then, Cat has forged a successful career in Marketing and Management and is an in-demand Key Note speaker on Digital Selling. She returned to ballet after a 17-year gap, and has since passed her Intermediate RAD Ballet exam with Downland Dance. As well as dancing, Cat runs and sings in a local a cappella choir and plays Tenor Sax in an Abingdon-based band: any excuse to perform!
Cat is a non-executive Director of Downland Dance Ltd with responsibility for marketing.
Suzanne Simcox RAD RTS
Non-Executive Director
Suzanne has been dancing since she was three years old. In adulthood she has found it a great way to stay fit in body and mind in such an enjoyable way (although she finds taking vocational exams is no easier as an adult!). Dancing has provided her a complete release from the busyness of work and bringing up a family. As her family has now grown up, she has qualified as an RAD teacher and enjoys passing on the love of ballet to other students.
Suzanne is a vital part of the school taking care of timetables, finances and fulfilling her role of non-executive Director of Downland Dance Ltd.
Teachers
Judy Bowles Harris RAD RTS
Principal Teacher
Judy was born and raised in Zimbabwe and won a scholarship to train at the Royal Ballet School. After a career in professional dance, she turned to teaching and has many decades experience of teaching in both Africa and the UK. After handing the reins of Downland Dance on to Adam, Judy has remained on the teaching staff, and continues to be an inspiration to the long-standing students at the school.
Suzanne Simcox RAD RTS
Teacher
Suzanne has been dancing since she was three years old. In adulthood she has found it a great way to stay fit in body and mind in such an enjoyable way (although she finds taking vocational exams is no easier as an adult!). Dancing has provided her a complete release from the busyness of work and bringing up a family. As her family has now grown up, she has qualified as an RAD teacher and enjoys passing on the love of ballet to other students.
Suzanne is a vital part of the school taking care of timetables, finances and fulfilling her role of non-executive Director of Downland Dance Ltd.
Alessandra Giunta RAD RTS
Teacher
Alessandra has been dancing with Downland Dance since she came to the UK. Having had her early ballet training in Italy, Alessandra went on to take her RAD vocational exams with us and then qualified as an RAD teacher. When not dancing, Alessandra is an astro physicist working in Harwell. She is one of the team who have sent a probe out towards the sun, the Solar Orbiter. She is married and splits her time between the UK and Italy.
Amanda Taylor
Teacher
Amanda first started dancing at the age of 3 with her first performance seeing her loving life, onstage, costumed as a Jelly baby!
Amanda has continued to dance all styles and passed her dance teaching exams in her early 20’s, which is when real babies came into her life!
Amanda is a highly-qualified Early Years professional and loves working with our youngest students. She is currently studying for her RAD teaching qualifications.
Maryna Yegorova
Teacher
Maryna has been dancing since she was 4 years old. At the age of 9 she started her professional ballet training at Donetsk Ballet school, Ukraine, before being accepted to continue her training, aged 16, at the Kharkiv College of Arts, where she received a Specialist Degree as a professional ballet dancer and teacher. During her studies, Maryna was invited to join the Kharkiv National Opera and Ballet company, where she continued to work for more than 10 years after her graduation. She performed various roles in classical and modern ballet performances including friends of Giselle, Cygnets in Swan Lake, Russian dance in the Nutcracker and many others. As a member of the company, Maryna performed in many countries all over the world, but it was the UK (the first country that she visited as a guest performer) that she would fall in love with.
Maryna has always enjoyed teaching, and as a dancer she would often volunteer to help new company members learn choreography and get to grips with intricate steps. Her talent for teaching was soon noticed, and she was invited to hold master classes at ballet schools across the USA whilst touring there as a dancer with the Kharkiv National Opera and Ballet. Now resident in the UK, Maryna is happy to become a part of Downland Dance and to work with such thoughtful and enthusiastic students.
Helen Lloyd RAD RTS
Teacher
Helen started dancing in her thirties, giving her personal insight into the joys and challenges faced by adult learners and demonstrating what can be achieved with persistence and excellent teaching! Helen has a background in secondary and adult education and is skilled at inspiring and motivating children and adults to achieve their goals. She decided to train as a Royal Academy of Dance ballet teacher because of her commitment to widening access to ballet and her belief in the importance of cultivating supportive, inclusive and enjoyable learning spaces. Helen is a Silver Swans licensee and a Rambert Grades member.
