Veronica Lewis MBE Al Chor
Director and Joint Principal of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama
Veronica was Director of Cheshire Dance Workshop and Advisory Dance Teacher for Cheshire County Council for 22 years. She was also one of the founding Directors of the National Dance Agency for the North West. She is Vice Chairman of English National Ballet, was formerly Chair of the Royal Ballet’s education committee, Vice-Chair of the Arts Council’s Dance Panel, on the Board of Rambert Dance Company, and a founding member of North West Arts Board. She was awarded the MBE in 1995 in recognition of her services to dance.
Kirsty Alexander
Assistant Director
After studying law, and then training in dance at Laban, Kirsty enjoyed an extensive performance career working with a diverse range of dance and theatre companies, including Michael Clark, Rosemary Butcher, Gill Clarke, Gaby Agis, Station House Opera and Michel Laub. Her own choreographic work is often site-specific and in collaboration with artists from other disciplines. She is a certified teacher of Skinner Releasing Technique, is well respected for her research into somatics and dance training, and is currently studying the philosophy of education. Kirsty has taught extensively in a wide variety of professional and educational contexts and was Head of Undergraduate Studies at Laban from 2000-2004.
Dr Mary Evelyn PhD (Kent) Cert ED
Head of Postgraduate Studies
Mary trained as a teacher as Goldsmith’s College, University of London. Graduating from LCDS in 1979, she became a freelance dancer with Siobhan Davies and Richard Alston, before spending eight years as a dancer and choreographer with Rambert Dance Company. She joined the faculty at LCDS in 1988 and directed the School’s Postgraduate Performance Group for seven years. She received her PhD in 1999 for research into teaching and learning strategies relevant to contemporary dance training and education.
Simon O'Shea BS MEd MSc
Head of Student Support Services
After studying biology and then education in the United States, Simon then spent several years working in student support services where he focussed on co-curricular program development for first-year students of Pennsylvania State University, and internation student populations for University of California. Following his return to the UK, Simon began working for an independent study-abroad provider assisting international students with their education and acculturation to life in London. In 2007, Simon completed his MSc in Globalisation and Development focussing on the role that higher education plays in today's global economy.
Dr Nick Dickson BSc (Hons) MSc PhD (London)
Head of Learning and Teaching
Nick studied environmental biology at Essex University, followed by a MSc by Research at Bristol, and a PhD in Geography at University College London. She started her career in academic management in 2001 at UCL, and worked in both the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology and the central Academic Services office. Then at Homerton School of Health Studies she was responsible for the quality assurance of their nursing and midwifery programmes.
(l-r: Dr Mary Evelyn, Simon O'Shea, Kirsty Alexander, Veronica Lewis)