Mentors

An international performer (currently performing the lead role ‘Banzai‘ in The Lion King On West End), instructor and choreographer with more than 15 years’ experience, David teaches the Lester Horton technique which provides the fundamental tools needed in dance training for both professional and pre professional dancers.
David is a certified Lester Horton Technique Instructor, a fellow of the International Dance Teachers’ Association (IDTA) and holds a MA in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy from the University of London, Goldsmiths. He received his performing arts training through the Cathy Levy Performing Arts Academy, California State University and the Alvin Ailey American Dance School.

Lana Carroll Heylock is a teacher, choreographer and interdisciplinary collaborative artist. She received her BFA in Dance from the University of Akron and her MFA in Choreography from Jacksonville University. As an Associate Professor of Dance at Jacksonville University, Lana Heylock teaches extensively in the undergraduate and graduate programs, restages existing professional repertoire, creates original choreography, and participates in local and national collaborations that involve socially conscious art-making experiences.

Ms. Heylock had a long and enriched professional career with Jennifer Muller/The Works Dance Company in NYC. During her fourteen years as a principal dancer, rehearsal director, and special projects director for the company, she assisted Jennifer Muller in restaging numerous pieces of repertoire throughout the world. In addition to performing Muller repertoire, she has performed in the works of major choreographers Judith Jamieson, Martha Graham, Lynn Taylor Corbett, Pearl Lang, and Ronald K. Brown. Ms. Heylock was a panel participant in the “Transformation and Continuance: Jennifer Muller and the Reshaping of American Modern Dance, 1959 – Present” conference in Santa Barbara, California hosted by former Dance Magazine Editor-in-Chief, Wendy Perron, and contributed a chapter in the accompanying published book.

Nationally and internationally, Lana has garnered a reputation as a master teacher for professional dance companies, universities and reputable professional schools across the globe. She enjoys traveling and has initiated several multicultural international opportunities for JU dance students including an intensive choreography workshop in Pontlevoy, France, and an interdisciplinary cultural performance immersion for a delegation of JU College of Fine Arts dance, music, and vocal students in Shanghai and Hangzhou, China.

Among England’s most respected dancers, Kit Lethby was a principal/leading dancer with international companies such as Scottish Ballet, Basel Ballet, Australian Ballet and PACT Ballet. He has danced roles produced by renowned choreographers and also had many roles created for him.
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In 1983 he began teaching and on his early retirement from dancing in 1988, went on to complete the Royal Academy of Dance Professional Dancer’s Teacher Training Course, from which he graduated with Distinction. Mr Lethby has been associated with Ecole Ballet and Dance Theatre for more than 28 years and during this association has seen many of the students graduate to the world’s top vocational schools. Over 70 of these students have gone on to become professional dancers.
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As well as choreographing over 100 solos for competitions and eisteddfods, he has mounted various ballets for Ecole including ‘Graduation Ball’, ‘La Sylphide Act 2’ and ‘Napoli Act 3’ as well as several original works. Invited on an almost continual basis to be a Guest Teacher for Vacation Schools held by the Royal Academy of Dance around Australia and New Zealand, Mr Lethby has also taught for Royal New Zealand Ballet, Sydney Dance Company and PACT Ballet, S. Africa.

Mr Lethby became an Examiner for Royal Academy of Dance in 2004.

Nandita Shankardass is a performing artist, choreographer, interdisciplinary facilitator, educator and speaker. She is the founder of Welcome Movement®, created to generate wellbeing, stimulate creativity and empower freedom of expression through movement and dance.

Nandita is a Clore emerging leader, an artist in residence at Rambert Dance, an educational workshop facilitator for Ballet Black and a Ballet Futures facilitator with English National Ballet. She is a 2024 Seedbed artist with 101 Outdoor Arts and a choreographer for McNicol Ballet Collective’s Compositions and Configurations Creative Residency 2024.

Taking her first ballet class at the age of 4 at The Audrey Joyce School of Ballet in London, Nandita joined the Royal Ballet School Junior Associate programme before joining The Royal Ballet School for full time training at the age of 11. She nurtured her passion for choreography and during her time as a student and was awarded The Dame Ninette De Valois Award & The James Monahan Award for her choreographic work.

Her career has taken her to perform with Zürcher Ballet, Victor Ullate Ballet, Ballet Black, Scottish Ballet and Compañia Nacional de Danza, performing internationally in a diverse range of classical, neo-classical and contemporary repertoire. In the U.K, Nandita has performed at Sadlers Wells, The Royal Opera House, Camden Roundhouse, Tate Modern and the Southbank Centre in collaboration with Orchestra Qawalli Project, Sujata Banerjee Dance Company, Adrian Look Tanztheater, Vidya Patel, Joseph Toonga, Fabula Collective, Beeja Dance and Hubert Essakow.

She has choreographed for ‘Capture’ for Zürcher Junior Ballet, ‘Synergy’ for Ballet Black and ‘Jaane Ajnabee’ as a Young Choreographer for Compañia Nacional de Danza, for the tve Global Sustainability Film Awards in 2012 and 2021 and the for CAT Programme at The Place. Nandita has choreographed solo works ‘Rainsoaked…’, Returns to Nature (a dance film), ’Footfalls echo’ and duets ’I am here and there, with you’ in collaboration with Mithun Gill for Anhad Festival for South Asian contemporary arts, ’Umbra’ for Hack Ballet and ‘Lightweight’ for Normansfield Theatre.

She has collaborated with Joss Arnott Dance for Greenwich Dance Arts Unboxed, with Sadlers Wells to cocreate Taster Dance workshops for their Take Part online series and for Family Sundays at with The Royal Opera House. Nandita has choreographed dance films for Orchestra Qawwali Project, Fabula Collective, Unheard Poetry and Worm London and has worked with Fabula Collective as a creative consultant. She has devised and delivered creative workshops and performances for Summer on the Square with National Gallery, Family workshops at William Morris Gallery and movement workshops at Tate Modern.

Nandita has been facilitating and teaching companies, artists and the wider community of all ages, backgrounds and abilities for over 12 years across London, Europe and Asia, including classes and workshops for Rambert Dance, English National Ballet, Ballet Black, Alexander Whitley Dance Company, English National Ballet Youth Co, Trinity Laban, The Place, Central School of Ballet, London Ballet Classes, House of Mass, ICMD India, Edge n’ Pointe Dance Centre, Elite Ballet Project and Shiamak Davar Company, Hamara Footpath and Segovia Dance School. She has lead creative sessions for Asian Women’s resource Centre and Spring Grove Care Home and World Peace Garden and OmVed Gardens.

Nandita formed part of the 1st EDI Working Group for Dancers Career Development between 2022-2023 and is on the Artists Advisory Group for Without Walls Consortium. She has an Ofqual accredited qualification in Contemporary Dance from Rambert Grades from Grades 1-8 and holds a BA degree in Humanities and Innovation.

Nandita is continually driven by care and compassion in her creative processes and in the participatory experiences she creates and facilitates.