About Anna Olejnicki (BA Hons)
Fellow of International Dance Teachers Association (Dist. Ballet, Modern Jazz, Tap, Theatrecraft & Freestyle)
Registered teacher with Royal Academy of Dance (RAD)
Member Equity UK
Anna began her dance career training at a local dance school in Doncaster, and began her professional career working as a commercial dancer/choreographer for fashion shows, and a dance tutor before founding Hype Dance Company, a dance education company in Sheffield in 2004.
Anna has worked with many dance companies delivering educational work including Decadance Theater (USA), Renegade Dance Theatre (Germany), and for the last 13 years with The Royal Ballet School (UK).
She teaches regularly within Hype Dance Company’s Academy in Sheffield. Her teaching work ranges from creative dance, choreography, teacher training/mentoring with professional dancers, and work with professional ice skaters from the British Squad.
She is a registered teacher with the Council for Dance, Drama and Musical Training, is an assessor for The Royal Academy of Dance on their practical dance teacher training module, a lecturer for the ISTD and a TDCI festival adjudicator.
Anna has been the recipient of Arts Council England Funding, a Lisa Ullman Dance travel scholarship and a finalist in the Grazia / O2 female Entrepreneur of the year.
About Rachel Dawson
ARAD, RTS, TCP
Rachel was born in New Zealand and trained at the New Zealand School of Dance, in ballet and contemporary, graduating with a 3-year diploma in dance performance.
Rachel performed with numerous dance companies throughout New Zealand, including an Australasian tour with Paul Jenden Dance Company. Following from this, Rachel was the choreographer, director and founder of Catapult Dance Company in Wellington, NZ. She was excited to be shortlisted for the role of Gollum in Peter Jacksons Lord of the Rings film Trilogy.
Rachel gained her RAD Teachers’ Certificate with distinction in 2001, and was proud to achieve her ARAD initials. In 2007, Rachel moved to Cambridge, UK with her husband and two children.
Since 2010 she has been employed by the Royal Ballet School as a technical/creative teacher on their out reach programme ‘Primary Steps’, and leads their creative work shops in Primary schools across the East Anglia, a role that culminates in choreographing graduation performance pieces for Primary Steps students.
Rachel currently works in Cambridge and Bury St Edmunds in the private sector as an RAD ballet teacher and contemporary teacher. She also teaches adult get fit, senior citizen classes, contemporary and ballet as part of community adult dance classes. She is also a cover teacher for Dance East Ipswich.
She previously worked as a ballet teacher for Bodywork Dance Company Cambridge in the vocational 3-year full time training performing Arts course and for Bodywork Theatre School for over 10 years, entering graded and vocational students into RAD ballet exams, whilst choreographing junior then senior end of year ballet shows from 2010-2019. In previous years she has been contracted to choreograph in Primary and Secondary schools in Cambridgeshire and New Zealand for end of year productions and creative dance workshops.
Rachel has had over 25 years of teaching and choreographic experience and enjoys inspiring students and seeing them reach their full potential. She is energetic, highly creative and passionate about all forms of dance.
