Teachers

Margaret Mansi ‘The Nutcracker’

MARGARET MANSI ARAD RAD RTS (Life Member) AISTD

Maggie founded Lamberhurst School Of Theatre Dance in 1977 after she retired from the professional theatre. She started her career with the London Festival Ballet Company (now renamed the English National Ballet Company). On leaving the Ballet Company, she danced extensively as a dancer at the London Palladium, in Musicals, on Television, in the film ‘The Music Lovers’ and in a Royal Variety Performance. Maggie met Tony, a West End singer when they were both working together at the Palace Theatre.  She ended her dance career with the musical ‘ShowBoat’ at the Adelphi Theatre to have her daughter Katherine. Luisa was born twenty months later and the family moved to Lamberhurst in 1977.

Maggie started  the Lamberhurst Dance School the same year with 10 pupils and it is now in it’s 42nd year. Katherine took over as Principal of the School in 2001.

As Choreographer & Director, she has been involved in many productions including Fiddler on the Roof, Oklahoma!, Kiss Me Kate, South Pacific, ShowBoat, The Pajama Game, Oliver, Annie, Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz, Stepping Out, Nunsense & the Opera Faust plus numerous Pantomimes.

After her successful school production of ‘The Nutcracker’ at the Queen’s Hall Theatre, Cranbrook in 2010, she then went on to Direct & Choreograph the three act Ballet of ‘Coppelia’ in 2013, ‘The Nutcracker’ in 2015, ‘Peter Pan in Dance’ in 2015 at the Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells. She is currently working on ‘Alice In Wonderland’ for 2019!
Maggie keeps threatening to retire, but as well as part time teaching, choreographing and making costumes, is now involved in script writing for pantomimes and enjoying her two granddaughters Mabel & Edith.

KATHERINE MANSI AISTD (DIP)(DDE) RAD RTS

Katherine has been teaching for 32 years and qualified to teach Ballet, Modern & Tap in 1992. During this time she has taught at Lamberhurst School Of Theatre Dance, Doreen Bird College & Legat Ballet School. She trained at two of the top schools in the country – Bush Davies & Doreen Bird College. She gained Honours for Intermediate, Advanced 1 & 2 Modern & Tap Exams and Distinction for her teaching Exams. At Doreen Bird College she was awarded the college cup for Dance Quality & Personality, the Singing cup and the DBC Diploma. She has appeared in and choreographed many Pantomimes, Musicals, Variety Shows, Summer Seasons & Children’s shows including Angel in Anything Goes, Nell in The Matchgirls, the roles of Lois Lane and Bianca in ‘Kiss Me Kate’, Aladdin in ‘Aladdin’, Fairy Snowdrop in Beauty & the Beast, Lorraine in ’42nd Street’, Principal dancer in Oklahoma & Copacabana, Nancy in ‘Oliver’ & Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’.

Katherine works extensively with ‘That’s Entertainment Productions’ appearing in shows all over the country including ‘Those Variety Days’ with Jimmy Cricket & Syd Little, ‘Liberace’ Live From Las Vegas with Bobby Crush, ‘The Syd Little Rock & Roll Show’, ‘Jimmy Cricket’s Christmas Cracker’ in which she dances, sings and has choreographed. In the school holidays she works on the cruise ships with celebrities such as John Archer, Floella Benjamin, Arthur Bostrom, Judy Buxton, John Challis, Tommy Cannon, Dana, Barbara Dickson, Anita Harris, Melvin Hayes, Sue Holderness, Sue Hodge, Jeffrey Holland, Paul Jones, Cindy Kent, Valerie Leon, Syd Little, Richard O’Callaghan, Jackie Piper, Valerie Singleton, Howie Watkins, Ann Widdecombe, Frank Williams, Pam Rhodes, Mick Robertson, Rydian, Tim Vine & The Dreamers, The Swinging Blue Jeans. She has appeared as Dick in Dick Whittington, The Spirit Of The Ring and the Empress in Aladdin, Wicked Queen in Snow White. See www.ThatsEntertainmentProductions.co.uk for more information. She has recently become a co-director with the company and works on six pantomimes.

Katherine has followed in both her parents footsteps. Her mother, Maggie who founded the school had an extensive career in the English National Ballet Company, London’s West End, Television and many summer shows and pantomimes working with many celebrities. Maggie now coaches, choreographs and oversees all the Ballet in the school. Her father, Tony (equity name Carlo) was a singer in numerous West End shows and that’s where he met Maggie. Tony still sings and founded the Bexhill Festival Of Music. They were given a couple of days off from their show at The Palace Theatre to get married and honeymoon!

KIRSTY COOPER AISTD (DDE)

Kirsty has worked extensively as a dancer and actress including Nancy in ‘Oliver’, Iris in ‘Fame’ and dancer in ‘Fusion’, ‘That’s Entertainment’, ‘The Fifth Dimension’ and ‘All That Jazz’. She was also a backing dancer for Kylie Minogue on ‘The Kylie Show’. Kirsty has created her own dance group ‘Storm’ which performed twice at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London, and has choreographed ‘The Secret Garden’. Kirsty also runs her own dance school ‘Smileys’ in Tenderden. We are very pleased that Kirsty has joined us to teach R.A.D. Ballet, I.S.T.D Tap & Modern & Street Jazz. 

HOLLY STURMAN

Holly has been one of our youngest and longest standing members of Lamberhurst School of Theatre Dance having started as a pupil when she was just three and half. During her time at Lamberhurst School Of Theatre Dance she has studied ballet, character, tap, modern jazz and musical theatre. Having taken her Grade 8 Ballet and Intermediate Tap exam, she followed in the footsteps of her inspiring teachers and began to help with classes and a regular holiday course. This provided her with an opportunity to begin teaching at the dance school in 2015.

Holly has worked with many local amateur dramatics companies as an actor and choreographer, including the Lamberhurst Pantomime Society, The Very Merry Roosters and Wadhurst Dramatic Club. In 2017 she took her directing debut with LPS’s production of Aladdin. Holly has also been the Stage Manager at the Assembly Hall and Trinity Theatre in Tunbridge Wells.

Holly supplements her dance teaching as a teaching assistant at Lamberhurst St. Mary’s Junior School and has a Level 3 diploma in supporting teaching and learning.

BECKY SPERRING

Becky has been teaching yoga since 2010 and she is qualified with the British Wheel of Yoga, and in the Viniyoga tradition, which specifically follows the teachings of Krishnamacharya and his son, Desikachar. 

Becky teaches general classes, beginners’ classes, yoga for mobility and antenatal yoga.  Classes have an emphasis on working with postures (asana) combined with appropriate use of the breath.  In the Viniyoga tradition she uses the different tools of yoga as they apply to each person as an individual to make sure they are working safely and achieving the maximum benefit from their practice.

CHRIS GIDNEY

Chris comes from a show business family and at age nine formed a comedy magic double-act with his father. Since then he has spent a lifetime in the profession as entertainer, producer/director and author, working with numerous artistes from the legendary Frank Sinatra to Sir Cliff Richard. Joining London’s West-End in 1980 he enjoyed twelve consecutive productions before moving to BBC Television, working on such classic programmes as Blue Peter and That’s Life with Esther Rantzen. Based on his extensive friendships within the profession, he has 28 books commercially published covering various aspects of life in show business. Chris’s hardbacks include the best-selling Celebrating Secombe for Sir Harry Secombe, Rock on Tommy for Cannon & Ball, Under No Illusion for Paul Daniels, Vicar to Dad’s Army with Frank Williams, Little by Little with Syd Little, Tapestry Tales with Dora Bryan and Show Me The Way with Wendy Craig. Chris has also written for the BBC and numerous periodicals. As a Director and Producer Chris is responsible for a number of unique stage, television and radio productions, whilst his recording company Fusion, produced several music, audio and DVD releases. In 2004 he co-founded That’s Entertainment Productions, which specialises in bringing high quality family entertainment to the commercial theatre.

TEP has produced summer shows for popular resorts such as Blackpool , Bournemouth, Clacton and Eastbourne and often has several productions on tour at any one time. Chris formed the show business Charity CIE in 1982 which continues to provide backstage support for professionals in the entertainment industry, and he remains the Director of this organisation.