teachers

School Years  

Since the age of 11, Nichola has dedicated her life to dance. Though a late starter to the arts, her first dance teacher at secondary school, Keeley Slack, that pushed and believed in her, and inspired her to follow a career in dance. At school she took part in every possible dance club, show, trip and performance to increase her skills. At the end of school life, Nichola was offered a dance teaching job at the age of 16 instructing the younger children at the school. This is where her love of teaching began.

Street Dance Zone 

Nichola was lucky enough to have a second mentor and teacher that helped guide her through dance in her teenage years. Alison Jones, manager of Street Dance Zone in Atherton, Manchester, taught me from the age of 10 – 17. The hard work she put into her business and dedication to her students inspired Nichola to be able to put the same love and heart into a project of her own one day. 

College Years

Nichola achieved entry into one of the top colleges in the UK – Winstanley College where she studied AS and A Level dance (as well as performing arts and English lit/lang). Here she performed in many shows and took part in several plays – it was safe to say her love of the arts was solidified, and dance was passion for the future.

Professional Career 

Seeking to develop her career further, Nichola moved her life to London after successfully gaining a place on the Dance and Choreography B.A Hons degree course at Middlesex University.

University galvanized her aspirations to throw herself into the London dance scene. She attended classes, workshops, events, performances, taught classes and undertook commercial work whilst studying for her degree. Already auditioning and performing with renowned choreographers, her career as a dance professional began to take shape. She trained arduously and performed in events across London. She joined Uchenna Dance Company with the incredible choreographer Vicki Igbokwe which focused on choreography through blending dance styles, namely: House Dance Waaking and Vogue with African and Contemporary influences. She was also a part of well-renowned street dance crew ‘TK Spin’ learning all there is to know about building a street dance family. She performed and trained consistently with both companies, and mastered a valuable armoury of skills, successfully developing into a well-rounded performer and dancer.

Zoe is a a Dance Artist who gained QTLS status through completing the Level 6 Diploma in Dance Teaching and Learning with Laban. Her studying started with a BTEC in Dance and completing a BA Hons in Dance at Edge Hill University.

Teaching since 2011 to all ages and in a variety of styles. she has a passion for authentic street dance and enjoys teaching at NLSDA because she is able to inspire the students and watch them grow into funky groovers. Zoe believes that everyone has a right to dance in a safe and effective environment. 

Harriet has been a freelance dance teacher, performer and choreographer for 4 years. She teaches various urban styles including locking, hip hop and waaking. She has taught in many of the best  studios and street dance environments across London including, pineapple dance studios, studio 68, Rambert and at Move It.

Alongside teaching she is an active member of Myself UK Dance company which she has performed with in many parts of the UK and internationally. 

Teaching NLSDA is always a breath of fresh air for Harriet. All the students are eager to learn and give her energy no matter what challenge she throws at them! It’s always a pleasure to see them embody her choreography!

Maggie Jol Ioannou is an assistant teacher at NLSDA who has been dancing for as long as I can remember and joined NLSDA at the age of 5 in 2011. As a student her teachers supported her passion for dance and allowed her to take steps to starting a career in the dance industry. 

Being an assistant at NLSDA makes her feel super happy as she is able to provide her time and skills to children who share the same passion. The academy has enabled her to gather work experience from a young age, to become part of the staff to teach the kids and help them out when needed.

She enjoys watching the kids grow and blossom into incredible dancers knowing she helped them along the way!  She will always be thankful to her teachers for pushing her to be the best version of herself. Her ambition is to be a professional dance teacher and dancer.

Lucy is a student and assistant teacher at NLSDA. She fell in love with street dance at an NLSDA summer school in 2012 and hasn’t stopped dancing since! Dancing has helped her grow as a person and taught her to be more confident, outgoing and to believe in herself.

Nichola Brown, the director, treats all the students at NLSDA like her own children and will always encourage them to strive to be the best they can be. For this is one of many reasons why she enjoys teaching in such a supportive environment.

Hi, my name is Emily, I am 14 years old, and I help as a teaching assistant on Tuesdays. I have attended NLSDA since I was around 4 years old and have been involved in many performances (which I love!) NLSDA has made me much more confident in myself as the teachers are always so supportive. I like helping at NLSDA because everyone is so friendly and, after helping out, I always leave with a smile on my face!