Meet The Team
Jennifer Siegeris RAD Teaching Dip RAD RTS AISTD DDE (Principal)
Principal Jennifer Siegeris began dancing at the Irish Ballet School in Dublin, Ireland. She began her professional training with the Royal Academy of Dance focusing on ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern, tap, history of dance, music theory, child development, anatomy and teaching thus gaining a Royal Academy of Dance Teaching Diploma.
On completion of this course she continued training for another three years at the prestigious Laine Theatre Arts where she studied professional dance and musical theatre and ISTD teaching qualifications.
During her professional training she continued her love of teaching on top of all her professional activities. She began teaching at the well established Laird Academy of Dance, Surrey, Arts Educational Schools, London and Chelsea Ballet Schools before travelling and dancing professionally on board world cruise liners.
On her return she regained all her previous teaching posts as well as teaching ballet classes to professional students aged 16 + years at Performance Preparation Academy (PPA) and Guildford School of Acting (GSA) alongside running The Siegeris School of Dance. Jennifer is an approved mentor with Royal Academy of Dance and mentors student teachers on the RAD CBTS teaching course.
Jennifer continued her professional development at the ISTD approved Kingston Teacher Training College under the direction of Dr. Margaret Gajewski and is up to date with CPD regulations, holds a Chaperone License, is a Pediatric First Aider and regularly attends courses that enhance her teaching and the well being of her students.
Jennifer enjoys being a working mummy!
Alice Oakley Jones BA (hons) ARAD RTS LRAD (Vice Principal)
Raised in her Mother’s Dance School Alice discovered her love of the performing arts at an early age. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dance with a BA (hons) in Ballet Education specializing in performance, and gaining the LRAD Teaching Certificate, whilst also achieving her Advanced 2 RAD Ballet and studying for the Solo Seal award. Alice then studied privately with ex-Ballerina Chilian Heredria, and has performed as a soloist dancer with The London Ballet Company. Alice has trained advanced students up to a pre-professional standard, some of which have gone on to gain places at established vocational schools such as The Royal Ballet School. She also teaches non-syllabus ballet and contemporary technique, and has choreographed for shows and competitions such as the prestigious International ‘Genee Challenge’, where her student won as finalist for her age division. Her philanthropic side has lead her to dance for charity campaigns and children's programs as far away as South America. From theater productions to fashion campaigns, Alice has a vast repertoire of industry skills that have seen her travel all over the world. Recently moving in a more commercial direction and signing with AKM Talent Management, Alice has been photographed for many campaigns, as well as danced in both independent and Feature Films, and a range of music videos. Alice is a keen advocate for bringing Ballet forward into more mainstream culture. Alice’s ingenuity has transcended her roots in classical ballet and contemporary dance to original performances and gained her global recognition. http://aliceoakleyjones.com/
OUR Teachers
Charlotte leigh Dowbiggin
Elena Georgiou
Shannon Brown
Paul Doyle
Miss Laura Cooper
Miss Thalia
Charlotte leigh Dowbiggin
Charlotte leigh Dowbiggin
Head of Modern & Tap
Charlotte Leigh Dowbiggin ISTD DDE Head of Modern & Tap Charlotte Leigh-Dowbiggin began dancing at 4 years of age. In her latter years she trained at Grayes Dance School focusing on ISTD Ballet, Tap, Modern and Jazz. Charlotte has been involved in many festivals, pantomimes and musical theatre workshops and has enjoyed performing at Her Majesty’s Theatre and The London Palladium. Charlotte trained at Lewisham College studying Ballet, Contemporary and Jazz and continued her teacher training at the ISTD Kingston upon Thames Teacher Training College under the direction of Dr Margaret Gajewski. It was here Charlotte gained her ISTD modern and tap qualifications. Charlotte is head of modern and tap at Siegeris Dance and enjoys preparing the students for examinations, choreographing for shows and specialises in teaching adult jazz and tap classes, Charlotte is also a qualified Zumba teacher. Charlotte enjoys sharing her passion for dance to everyone she teaches at Siegeris Dance.
Elena Georgiou
Elena Georgiou
MA, BA (Hons) Ballet Education, LRAD, RAD RTS
Elena grew up in Cyprus and discovered her passion for dance when taking her first ballet class at the age of 5. Growing up she participated in a number of performances and dance seminars where she was trained in different dance styles.In 2009, she was accepted at the Royal Academy of Dance where she completed her degree in Ballet Education as well as the Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Dance. Elena decided to further her studies in dance and undertook the MA in Dance Cultures at the University of Surrey which she completed in September 2013, with Distinction. She currently lives and teaches in London and aspires to reinforce students’ expression and performance enjoyment.
Shannon Brown
Shannon Brown
BA (Hons), LRAD, ARAD, RAD RTS
Shannon has been dancing since she was just three years old in her hometown of Clacton-on-sea. She participated in many classes in her younger years at her local dance school. These classes consisted of ISTD Tap, Modern and Jazz, as well as the RAD Ballet syllabus. She has performed various roles in ballet shows with her local dance school, her favourite being the lead role she was given as Cinderella. Her passion towards teaching and commitment for ballet over the years was rewarded by her being offered a place to study at the Royal Academy of Dance, on the Ballet Education degree. The degree has allowed Shannon to explore new styles of dance, such as contemporary, in addition to further developing her skills as a teacher. These skills have allowed her to gain experience in teaching within multiple settings, including private dance schools and public sectors such as Silver Swans and Dance For Lifelong Wellbeing. Shannon has thoroughly enjoyed her time studying and has taken any given opportunity to expand her teaching knowledge alongside the degree. This is evident by her also achieving her Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Dance, as well as accomplishing her Advanced 2 exam, thus becoming an Associate of the Royal Academy of Dance. Shannon is very excited to join Siegeris Dance and is a ballet teacher, who is passionate about sharing her knowledge on the RAD syllabus to all her students, bringing fun and enthusiastic energy to every dance class.
Paul Doyle
Paul Doyle
Paul Doyle is currently the only Irish representative on the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) panel of examiners. He was recently appointed as Lecturer in Dance Education for the Royal Academy of Dance Faculty of Education from May 2018 he has been the Programme Manager for the global teaching qualification the Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies. He is a fully qualified RAD teacher as well as holding Licentiate status with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (ISTD). Paul also tutors registered teachers on the RAD CPD scheme. He is currently studying with University of Roehampton for an Msc Exercise and Sport Science His dance training began at the Wexford School of Ballet and Modern Dance 20 years ago. During his time spent training at the school, he partook in many school shows and many local amateur productions; he also completed ISTD Exams.
Miss Laura Cooper
Miss Laura Cooper
Laura began her training at the Liz Robinson School of Dancing and became passionate about dance from an early age, competing at festivals in the UK and internationally, including the Dance World Cup finals. She continued her training at Performers College, graduating in 2014 with a Diploma in Dance Theatre along with her ISTD DDI examinations. Laura is also a registered teacher in Progressing Ballet Technique. Laura’s professional credits include dancing for the FA cup final at Wembley Arena, ‘One Night Only’ at the London Palladium, Paul Roberts ‘The Tide’ and the 2014 film ‘Cuban Fury’. Since then she has enjoyed teaching in a number of schools in the Channel Islands and most recently in London.
Miss Thalia
Miss Thalia
Thalia has been dancing since the age of 2, joining Footsteps School of Dance and Drama at the age of 5. She studied the RAD ballet syllabus under tuition from Maryrose Meadwell and joined Siegeris Dance as a student when Footsteps became part of Mrs Jennifer's school in 2016. She has taken all of her RAD examinations from Primary up to Grade 8; while also studying the vocational syllabus up to Advanced 2. She has gained performing experience through taking qualifications in Dance and Drama at high school and sixth form. Her favourite performance memory is her RAD Graduation Show in which she performed a range of pieces with her peers. Thalia has recently completed her studies at the Royal Academy of Dance with BA (Hons) in Ballet Education specialising in performance and also gained the Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Dance. The degree allowed her to further explore many aspects of dance and teaching, including learning elements of dance history and choreography, as well as developing her teaching knowledge and strengthening her own technical ability. She took on many difficult technical challenges including studying the Solo Seal Award and performing the Sugar Plum Fairy variation from the Nutcracker. She also gained experience in teaching whilst on the course, including spending time learning at private dance schools and in the community sector with Step Into Dance. Thalia greatly enjoyed her time studying at the RAD headquarters and is a teacher who is passionate about passing on her knowledge to her students and creating a fun and welcoming environment for all.