ABOUT

ADVANCE SCHOOL OF DANCE

We aim to offer high quality training whilst following the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), Acrobatic Arts and ISTD Tap and Modern Syllabus.

The Advance School of Dance and Theatre Art are proud to offer fun and inspiring dance classes in a variety of theatre disciplines. We aim to offer high quality training whilst following the prestigious Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) syllabus as well as the ISTD Tap and Modern syllabus. This allows students to gain renowned dance qualifications and have the opportunity to perform in annual shows and festivals.

The Advance School of Dance and Theatre Art was established by Miss Melissa in March 2017. The

school offers high quality dance and theatre training by preparing students for RAD and ISTD

examinations as well as festivals and public performances. We offer classes suitable for adults and children of all ages across Reading and Wokingham. Our classes cater for those students who dance for a hobby and also for those who would like to follow a career in the dance and theatre industry. We pride ourselves on treating every student as an individual and helping them reach their full potential.

"You dance love, and you dance joy and you dance dreams"

- GENE KELLY

MISS MELISSA

Principle/Owner- Melissa Willis
BA (Hons) Ballet Education, LRAD, ARAD, RAD RTS

Miss Melissa started training from a very young age in a wide variety of dance styles including RAD ballet, ISTD modern and tap, musical theatre, street dance and much more. Growing up she continued her training and had the opportunity to perform in many professional productions, festivals and competitions. At 18 she was accepted to train at the Royal Academy of Dance on the BA Ballet Education course. During her time at the RAD she completed her advanced 2 level Ballet and passed her Licentiate teacher training with Distinction. She also was given many performance opportunities from Dancing at Move It and the Live Home show at Earls Court to dancing with the cast of Memphis for the BBC as part of comic relief.

Since then she has graduated and has been teaching at prestigious schools around London including Chelsea Ballet Schools, where she delivered ballet classes to top private schools and helped stage their production with the principles of the English National Ballet. She also worked at many other schools in London entering students for RAD ballet and ISTD tap and modern examinations with a 100% pass rate, with 85% of students gaining distinctions. As well as this she has choreographed for many dance festivals and also coached students auditioning for west end and vocational schools including Tring, The Royal Ballet School, Central School of Ballet, Elmhurst and many musical theatre stage schools. Also during her time in London Miss Melissa has been performing in Pinot! the musical where she has been dance captain and will continue to perform alongside her teaching.

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