InitiateYDC
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The Company
Click on a name to read a biography
Portia Brookes
Portia Brookes has been doing performing arts for over five years at Stagecoach. She has also participated in various school productions, as well as performing in Bill Kenwright’s Evita (child Soloist), Scrooge and Joseph at the HMT in Aberdeen. Portia is working towards grade five on the Oboe, and is taking ballet classes. She has also been attending contemporary dance classes since she was six, and hopes to continue with dance throughout her life.
Dance has always been a part of Rhianna's life. She attended ballet and modern classes for twelve years, achieveing Grade Five on the RAD syllabus with merit. She also took freestyle and ballroom classs for four years achieving bronze, silver and gold awards. At upper school Rhianna was a member of the school's Contemporary Dance Company and performed in local showcases and school award ceremonies, as well as being in the dance chorus for her school's production of Disco Inferno. Rhianna currently teaches Streetdance at Swallowfield Lower School.
Rhianna Cullinan
Chloë Giscard
Chloë trained in dance and dance theory at the Lycée Pierre Mendès before going on to train at the Conservatoire La Ville de La Roche-Sur-Yon and L’École Accès Danse in Luçon. She has trained in many styles of dance, including jazz, flamenco, hip hop and ballet. Chloë finds that each of these different styles add to and complement her training and performance in Contemrporary dance. For Chloë, dance is all about pleasure.
Sophie started dancing at a young age and has pursued it throughout her life. She has trained in many different styles including Ballet, Jazz, Flamenco and Contemporary. Before moving to the UK Sophie studied in France at the Lycée Pierre Mendès and at the Conservatoire La Ville La Roche-Sur-Yon. Sophie is also passionate about theatre and enjoys exploring where the two disciplines can overlap and compliment one another.
Sophie Giscard
Becky Matcham
Becky trained and competed in gymnastics from the age of 4 until she was 11. During that time she competed all around England representing Milton Keynes and was county all-round Artistic Champion, Floor and Vault Regional Champion and Regional All Round Runner up by 0.01 points. Sadly, she had to give up full time gymnastics whe the pressure began to take a toll on her knees. After a year of not having a certain sport that she loved, she came across dance, watching shows like 'Strictly Come Dancing'. She decided to take some dance classes around Milton Keynes and then came across Arts1, where she currently attends Contemporary and Ballet classes. In the future Becky aspires to work in the dance industry, performing to millions. She is currently studying BTEC Dance.
Izzie’s great grandmother was a professional ballerina and her mother was a gymnast providing her with a life long passion for both. She began studying ballet before Year Three, but mainly focused on gymnastics, training in both artistic and acrobatics at a high level. Izzie studied GCSE Dance and thoroughly enjoyed it; gaining an A grade. Currently she studies Dance and Theatre Studies at Stantonbury School alongside History and English Literature. She trains weekly in Ballet, Contemporary, Choreography and Improvisation and Jazz classes at Arts1, as well as doing around 9.5 hours of gymnastics a week. In the future, she would like to have a career in dance but for now would like to focus on gaining experience, broadening her dance vocabulary and performing where possible.
Izzie Miller
Natasha Poppleton-Roy
Tasha has been attending Ballet classes since the age of 3 at Bedfordshire School of Dance and Drama with Anne Hallett in Flitwick. She has completed all of her RAD exams in ballet up to Grade 6, mostly with distinction, and is now working towards Grade 7. She is also doing intermediate and advanced classes, along with pointe class and now Contemporary. To date, she has performed in a number of Dance School and School productions each year. Tasha hopes to underake a career in Dance and is thoroughly enjoying her first experience of dance company life with InitiateYDC.