St Ivo Academy’s Dance Department is celebrating the successes of several alumnae, who have been given starring roles on television and the national stage, as well as welcoming back dance alumna and professional dancers to teach and inspire current students.
Former St Ivo student Mina Neighbour became a resident dancer on Britain's Got Talent semi-finals week last month, performing at the MTV Europe Music Awards with Saweetie in Budapest, opening the BRIT Awards 2022 with Ed Sheeran and performing at the EUROS 2020 closing ceremony at Wembley Stadium.
Mina Neighbour said: “My St Ivo teachers were always so supportive of my dance career, and I knew they were always proud of what I was achieving.
"One year I was given the opportunity to hold my own dance class at lunchtimes and choreographed a piece for St Ivo’s annual dance production, Ivolution, which I loved doing. I love the St Ivo Dance Department, and they helped support me to get to where I am now.
Collette Guitart, another St Ivo Dance alumna, recently joined the cast of the West End musical "& Juliet" and also performed on this year’s Comic Relief.
This term, St Ivo Dance alumna Lucy Jack returned to school to inspire the students, having completed her BTEC Level 3 studies in 2020 before continuing to study for a Dance Degree at the University of Chichester, where she is currently in her second year.
Lucy led a Jazz class with Year 10s and a choreographic creative session with Year 12s in preparation for upcoming assessments in their BTEC courses.
St Ivo Year 10 students also had the opportunity to participate in a workshop last month, led by professional dancer, singer, and actor Emily Barnett-Salter.
Emily performed as Sheila Bryant in the production of "A Chorus Line" last year and spent the day teaching BTEC Dancers set repertoire from the show and teaching GCSE Musicians a song from the show.
Lindsay McAdam, Head of Dance at St Ivo Academy, part of Astrea Academy Trust, said: “We are so proud of what Mina and Collette have achieved and look forward to following their careers closely. They are such an inspiration to our students! And we are really grateful to Lucy for coming back to school to give back her experiences to younger year groups.
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