ISTD - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Head of Faculty Development
Astrid Sherman ran a large ISTD-based professional training school in Vancouver Canada for 16 years before relocating to LA. Astrid has her ISTD ICB Fellowship, a BSc Kinesiology & Gerontology and the ISTD MA in Dance Pedagogy from Middlesex University.
She is on the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS) Dance Educators' Committee where she is very much involved in organizing Regional and Outreach Dance Science events. Astrid has presented dance research at many IADMS & Healthy Dancer Canada conferences. She also acts as the Dancer Wellness Advisor for Ballet Beyond Borders (BBB).
Job Titles:
- International Representative
Carole Watson was born in London and grew up in Kent. As a child she studied at Gay Holdforth school of dancing and then proceeded to her professional training at Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts. After several years of performing professionally, both in the UK and overseas, Carole began her teaching career in Italy.
Carole at present runs her own dance school in Northern Italy where she teaches children of all ages. As a Tutor she prepares future teachers for their teaching qualifications from DDE to Fellowship. Carole is an international senior examiner for Imperial Classical Ballet, Modern Theatre and Tap and she has recently become an assessor for the Unit 2 DDE.
In addition to her Fellowship Carole completed her Diploma of Dance Pedagogy in 2019 and in February 2023 completed an MA with Middlesex University in Dance Pedagogy.
Christopher is a highly respected adjudicator and teacher of competitive dancing. Starting his competitive dance career at the age of 11, he has received numerous world championship awards including the World Professional Ballroom Championship title, which he received three consecutive times. Christopher previously served as the Chairman of the World Competitors' Dancesport Corporation for several years, which subsequently developed into the World Dance Council Competitors' Commission under his management. He joined the Modern Ballroom Faculty of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in 2009 and was elected the as Chairman of the Faculty in October 2015. He also proudly represents the Society on many of the Committees at the British Dance Council.
Job Titles:
- International Representative - Asia
Chua Zjen Fong is qualified as a Fellowship in ISTD Latin American dance and has over 15 years of dedicated experience in teaching and coaching dancesport.
Together with his wife Evon, Chua is the former 15-time Malaysia National Latin champion, as well as 4 national Dancesport record holders. They have dedicated their lives to Dancesport, for which they have a deep passion.
From owning a dance school in Kuala Lumpur that has nurtured and trained the largest number of national athletes in Malaysia, to proudly serving as the national coach and team manager for the Malaysian Dancesport contingent in the 2019, 2021 and 2023 SEA Games, dance is not just a hobby for Chua - it's a way of life.
Delia Sainsbury was originally trained at Bush Davies School where she obtained the Associate in Ballet, Tap, Modern Theatre and National Dance, plus the Performance Certificate in Drama LAMDA.
In 1992, Delia and her husband Keith Galloway relocated to Cape Town at the invitation of the fledgling V&A Waterfront, and established a full time College of Performing Arts, including a Junior section.
Delia has qualified over 300 ISTD teachers in the various genres and has a permanent staff of 7 full time dance teachers, entering Trinity College examinations to Licentiate level and was granted the International ISTD Award in 1985.
Actively encouraging teachers to embrace the ISTD method and to upskill through courses both online and in-person, Delia leads the Waterfront Theatre School with the motto "Perform, Teach, Create".
Drew is fast becoming one of Britain's most sought-after emerging directors and choreographers. He is the Artistic Director of The McOnie Company and a proud Associate Artist at The Old Vic theatre, London and the Nuffield Southampton Theatres. Drew won the Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreography for In the Heights in 2016 and he was nominated for the same award in 2017 for the groundbreaking production of Jesus Christ Superstar at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. Amongst many, some of his theatre credits as a director/choreographer include King Kong, Strictly Ballroom and On the Town, which won the Olivier Award Nomination for Best Musical Revival 2018 - Regent's Park.
Elisabeth was the Faculty's representative on the Theatre Faculties Board for many years and was appointed to the Council of the Board of Trustees from 2008 until 2015. In 2011 she was awarded the Theatre Faculties' Imperial Award for outstanding services to the Society. She is currently Chair of the Cecchetti Society Trust, a Trustee of the Imperial Benevolent Fund and, once again, a Trustee of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing and Chair of the Nominations and Remuneration Committee.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Vice Chair
- Head of the CEDR Foundation
Frederick is the Head of the CEDR Foundation, the research, charitable, and thought leadership arm of CEDR (the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution), Europe's largest provider of alternative dispute resolution services. As Head of the Foundation, Frederick leads on all Foundation projects, membership, and engagement and is responsible for the Foundation's strategy and external communication. Prior to becoming Head of the Foundation, Frederick worked as the Foundation's manager and as a negotiation consultant, in charge of all of CEDR's negotiation activity.
Job Titles:
- Local Organiser for Mexico
Job Titles:
- Director of Membership and Communications
Job Titles:
- Head of Faculty Development
Jeremy was born in Buckinghamshire and educated at Rugby School. He first worked on the floor of the Stock Exchange for Akroyd and Smithers in the early 1970s before leaving the City to qualify as an accountant in 1981. Jeremy's career included working at Aviva, Willis Faber, and then Robert Fleming, before becoming the Finance and IT Director at the Financial Ombudsman Service. During his career, he spent time abroad working in Paris, which enabled him to learn to speak French, and also travelled the world extensively in his other roles.
Retiring in 2010, apart from being Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee at the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, he now spends his time as the Team Leader of the Oxted Community First Responders with the South East Coast Ambulance Service, driving for a local charity that enables people to attend medical appointments, and helping with a charity based in Malawi that aims to improve the lives of small farmers and businesses. He is a trustee of the Mitchell City of London Charity and Educational Foundation as well as a past master of the Worshipful Company of Curriers.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Founder and Principal of the Centre Performing Arts College
Karen King is the founder and Principal of The Centre Performing Arts College and has been an examiner and committee member for the Modern Theatre Faculty of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing and on behalf of the society has taught Tap dance to a group of MPs, who performed at a variety of charity events under the name The Division Belles. Karen is currently a trustee for the Society and a member of the F&A and N&R Committees.
The Centre PAC offers outstanding, professional, practical training with guaranteed individual attention with graduates performing in the West End and a wide range of performing destinations. Karen is renowned for training dance teachers and is responsible for the exceptional and personally focussed teacher training offered at The Centre PAC, with graduates teaching and running their own schools worldwide. In September 2018 The Centre PAC added the ISTD Level 6 qualification Diploma in Dance Pedagogy to its portfolio of qualifications, currently the only vocational college in Europe to offer a vocational training course in dance that leads to work as a professional performer combined with the ability to gain this prestigious qualification. Karen was delighted to be the 2017 recipient of the Imperial Award.
Job Titles:
- Head of Faculty Development
Job Titles:
- Director of Education and Training
Job Titles:
- Head of Faculty Development
Mark is the Founder and Artistic Director of Deaf Men Dancing. Mark was nominated as Best Choreographer in the Off-West End Awards and the Broadway World UK Awards for Ace of Clubs, Call Me Madam and Iolanthe and Live Theatre and British Theatre for Tommy. His training began at the Royal Ballet School London Studio Centre and he has since gone on to choreograph a wide array of productions in a variety of genres including the Paralympic Opening Ceremony, London 2012; The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, 101 Dalmatians, Noah, A Marvellous Year for Plums and The Meeting, amongst many others.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Trustee of the Birmingham Royal Ballet
Job Titles:
- Director of Finance and Resources
Oti is best known as a professional dancer on BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing since 2015. As an 8-time South African Latin American Champion, she is regarded as one of the most successful South African dancers in the world. Currently a dance captain and mentor on series two of BBC One's Saturday night dance and entertainment show, The Greatest Dancer - winning series one with her act - Ellie Fergusson, she regularly choreographs critically acclaimed musicals and is now a presenter on UK television.
Job Titles:
- Head of Faculty Development
Shobana is an internationally recognised choreographer with over 30 years' experience. She has created over 60 critically acclaimed works for stage, screen and unconventional public spaces such as Palladian monasteries. Her work is noted for both its intellectual rigour and its visceral physicality and has toured worldwide including Europe, USA, India and the Far East and is now part of the national curriculum in the UK. As well as being a judge for BBC Young Dancer in both 2017 and 2019, she has also received honorary doctorates from the universities of Surrey, Leicester and Chichester. She was awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the WOW Women in Creative Industries Awards in 2017 and was appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2020.
Job Titles:
- Local Organiser for Malta