Principal and Dance Teacher – Katie Parker (AIDTA)
‘This young lady is an inspiring teacher.’
International Dance Teachers Association (IDTA)
Katie Parker began dancing at the age of 3, and at the age of 18, went on to become a dancer and singer throughout the UK. Katie has danced in the West End, London, and has worked as an Entertainments Manager, producing shows for in-house teams. Katie has also produced production shows for UK Theme Parks as well as choreographing for West End theatres ‘Sadler’s Wells,’ ‘The London Palladium,’ and ‘Her Majesty’s Theatre,’ and the ultimate dance teacher’s dream: ‘Disneyland, Paris!’
With A Levels in Music and Theatre Studies, and Dance and Choreography qualifications through the BTDA and IDTA,Katie has a well rounded Performing Arts background, which helps make Footloose the success that it is. Katie not only teaches all Classical, Tap and Acro work at Footloose, but also dance and singing to all Saturday stage class students.
Katie is a qualified teacher thorugh the IDTA (International Dance Teachers Association) and qualified ZUMBA instructor and Katie continues to attend regular masterclasses / tuition to keep up to date with the latest styles and training. With a performance background herself, Katie is able to teach the students the importance of performance on stage and teach them in audition technique for shows, cruises and universities. In addition to being Principal of Footloose Stage School, Katie also works at a number of primary and secondary schools across Leicestershire giving weekly Dance and Drama tuition in line with the National Curriculum, including GCSE and A Level Dance.
Katie’s vision for the Footloose Stage School remains constant: ‘The ethos of Footloose is to give students as many chances to perform on as many different platforms as possible. Footloose is a family that all students are welcomed into.’
Singing Teacher: Michelle Austin (BA HONS / PGCE)
Michelle is the resident Footloose Singing Teacher, tutoring all Saturday stage class students alongside Miss Katie:
I began my love for the arts at school, when I became a part of the school Youth Theatre and Dance group. From there I was part of a number of shows performing around Leicester and developed a love of all dance areas, most particularly in Street Dance.
After school, I attended Brooksby Melton College to study Musical Theatre where I took part in a number of shows and performances before returning back to my Secondary school to work as a Teaching Assistant within Drama and English.
I have now been working at the school for almost 5 years. Within that time I have developed my skills to become a teaching instructor in Drama for KS3 and support within BTEC Performing Arts classes for KS4 students.
I graduated with a 2:1 degree in Theatre Studies and I am now Head of Drama teaching KS4 / GCSE Drama at a secondary school in Leicester.
In my spare time, I am also lead singer of a soul bands gigging all over the UK every weekend.
Working at Footloose has given me a great opportunity to improve my skills within teaching and it is a pleasure to work with such talent and appreciation for the arts.
Drama & Physical Theatre Tutor: Michael Christmas
Mr Christmas joined Footloose in September 2014 as our physical theatre and stage combat teacher. His extensive background in Performing Arts and correct techniques for stage falls and fight scenes allows Footloose to deliver the very best drama at Footloose!
In addition to his training, Mr Christmas has a number of TV credits & films to his name including but not limited to Casualty, Silent Witness and ‘The Festival’ which means Mr Christmas now features on the IMDB credits! Mr Christmas is able to educate the children first hand on the industry and with continual work himself, is able to assist our students pursue their dreams within the Arts!
As well as teaching drama to all of the other classes, it is a pleasure to have a male role model at Footloose for our growing number of boys at the school.
Acrobatic Arts & Junior Ballet Technique Tutor: Katie Mugglestone (AIDTA)
Katie Mugglestone trained at Dupont Stage School in Leicester and went on to perform across the UK as a dancer in her own right. Katie returned to Leicester in 2018 and since that time has become a fully qualified Acrobatics Arts teacher, ensuring our students always learn the correct acrobatic techniques in a safe and controlled environment. Katie is also a fully qualified ballet teacher through the IDTA (AIDTA) and is a Progressive Ballet Technique Tutor. Katie has recently completed her ‘Alixa Flexibility’ teacher training and her impressive CPD ensures our students always get the most up to date tuition.
Katie currently teaches all acrobatic classes at Footloose including 1 to 1 acrobatic classes as well as IDTA technique for exams to our Junior classes.
Contemporary Dance Teacher: Raska Radulovic (BA Hons)
Raska trained at Footloose Stage School herself as a student!
Raska pursued the arts at Roehampton University where she was awarded a 2:1 in Dance Studies.
Raska performed in the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games and having completed her studies, has returned to Footloose to pass on her expertise as a teacher: Miss Katie is thrilled to be working alongside her first ever student! Most recently, Raska has started her IDTA teacher training in ballet and will soon be a fully qualified member of the IDTA!
Miss Raska assists with all main stage classes at Footloose as well as helping teach Private lessons for competition work.
Resident Ballet Tutor: Elizabeth Piggott (FIDTA / RAD)
Liz Pigott studied at Arts Educational in London for 3 years, before performing as a professional ballerina for 10 years. Miss Liz is ‘Royal Academy of Dance’ qualified and is a fellow of the International Dance Teachers Association. (IDTA)
Liz is an adjudicator for various dance festivals thorughout the UK and one of IDTA’s top examiners.
We are thrilled to have Liz with all her wealth of experience on board at team Footloose to teach the students ballet technique on a weekly basis.
Dep Teacher: Verity Tamnhe (BA Hons / PGCE)
In 2020, Footloose was thrilled to welcome Verity Tamnhe to their teaching faculty.
Verity is a teacher at primary school in Leicester and originally covered the teaching post of singing teacher at Footloose during Miss Michelle’s maternity leave. With Verity’s degree being in Drama, this allows her to cover all singing and drama classes at Footloose and she has become such a valuable member of our wonderful team.