Talented, experienced teachers

Our teachers are all highly experienced and have trained for many years in dance and in the practical and theoretical side of teaching. All classes are age appropriate and, because we believe in safe dance training that is aligned with developmental stages, only include movements suitable for growing bodies.

Our core teachers are:

Vanessa Golborn (RAD teachers Dip. RTS LISTD Dip.)

Emily Golborn (MA Performance Dance / BA Hons Dance and Music /LISTD / ISTD DDE/ RAD DDTS RTS)

Charlotte Last (BA Hons Education / ISTD DDE / RAD CBTS RTS)

Olivia Paynter (BA Hons Ballet Education, LRAD RTS)

Abi Dwyer (Italia Conti)

Megan Coates (London Studio Centre)

Vanessa - School Principal

RAD Teachers Diploma, Registered RAD teacher, LISTD Diploma, Certificate in Dance Education.

Having danced in all genres from a young age, Vanessa started her professional dance career as a Ballroom and Latin dancer having become under 16s UK champion in Old Time dance. She soon caught the teaching bug and focused on gaining her teaching qualifications for Ballet and the theatre arts, achieving her RAD Ballet Teachers Diploma and her ISTD Licentiate and Associates in Modern and Tap. After teaching for various schools in the UK and around the world she decided to set up her own dance school and founded the Vanessa Golborn School of Dance in 1994.

From there the school continued to grow and expand from just a few classes and students to the vibrant school that exists now, boasting over 200 students. Vanessa has considerable experience in choreography, having created many numbers for her own shows as well as Oklahoma, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Kiss Me Kate and bespoke choreography for corporate and charity events. As well as running the dance school and teaching, she is a gifted seamstress and creates costumes for shows, uniform for the dance school and personalised items available to order.

Emily Golborn

MA Performance Dance, BA (hons) Dance and Music, ISTD DDE, RAD DDTS RTS

Emily trained through the RAD and ISTD syllabi from a young age and was taught by some of the most respected teachers in the business. Emily has a Masters degree in Performance Dance specialising in dance pedagogy as well as a BA (hons) Degree in Dance and Music. She has is a Licentiate of the ISTD, has two level 4 Diplomas in Dance Education from the ISTD and a level 5 Diploma in Dance Teaching Studies from the RAD. 

She has over 15 years’ teaching experience in state and private sectors, preparing young people for careers in performing arts, and coached professional dancers looking for master classes and audition preparation. She teaches regularly at prestigious vocational performing arts schools Italia Conti and Guildford School of Acting where she works with aspiring professional dancers/performers in their final steps towards a career in performing arts. As well as this, she has taught at Rambert, Hampshire Dance, University of Chichester, Alton College, Dennard Theatre Arts, as well as teaching workshops at various schools, colleges and organisations, GCSE Dance and private wedding dance lessons.

She has choreographed music videos, TV performances and live shows for singers, bands and organisations including Sony Music, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, YouTube and CBBC. Her choreography has been performed live internationally including at The 20,000 capacity LANXESS Arena in Köln, Metropolis-Halle in Potsdam, Arena Berlin, The Excel London and The IndigO2 as well as festivals and smaller venues across Europe. Her piece “4.23” was featured in Alexandre Magazine for pieces of inspiring contemporary choreography. She was also judge for the British Red Cross’s nationwide Dance for Life competition which saw young dancers from all over the country fight to reach the finals at the IndigO2 in the O2 Arena, and a judge for various Rock Challenge events.

Music is intrinsic to both her dance practice and her life. She has created a career in music alongside that of dance and the two regularly cross paths. She is a multi-instrumentalist and has performed at venues around the country, the biggest of which include Buckingham Palace, Birmingham NEC and The Albert Hall as well as festivals and smaller music venues nationally and internationally. She regularly plays with psychedelic dance/rock band Keepers Brew (Vocals and piano), alternative rock band Blind Falcon (Vocals and Bass Guitar) and ska band Key Lime Pi (Vocals, Piano, Saxophone) as well as performing her solo work as a singer-songwriter on a variety of instruments. She composes music both in collaboration with dance artists and for her own choreography. Over the 2020/21 lockdowns, she hosted and performed at a variety of online charity shows/virtual gigs working closely with Music Venue Trust to raise money for struggling music venues.

Her theatre directing credits include Play On by Rick Abbot, The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard, Cash on Delivery by Michael Cooney, Murdered to Death by Peter Gordon, Laugh? I Nearly Went to Miami by Miles Tredinnick and Out of Order by Ray Cooney. She has also written, directed and produced her own plays including It’s Not The End of The World, On Set and Loco Motives, as well as her own versions of pantomimes including Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella and The Wizard of Oz.

Charlotte Last

BA (hons) Education, ISTD DDI, RAD CBTS RTS

Charlotte loves teaching our younger students and is a big kid at heart with her love of everything Disney. She has been dancing since the age of 2 when she started ballet and tap, and joined the Vanessa Golborn School of Dance at the age of four.

Charlotte grew up with the school completing graded exams in ballet, tap, modern and jazz, and also gaining vocational qualifications in these genres. At the age of 14 she started assisting classes, and later became a student teacher with the Vanessa Golborn School of Dance before starting her official teacher training to become a full time teacher for the school - and now we don't know what we'd do without her!

She completed her BA honours degree in Education at the University of Winchester, focusing on dance. She has two Diplomas in Dance Education with the ISTD in tap and modern, and has completed a Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies with the Royal Academy of Dance giving her registered teacher status. She has choreographed many numbers in a variety of styles for our shows at the Anvil in Basingstoke and runs dance and craft workshops for our younger students.

Olivia Paynter

BA (Hons) Ballet Education, LRAD, RAD RTS, ARAD

Olivia began dancing at the age of 2 years; her passion was nurtured to a vocational level as she completed a wide range of exams in the RAD and ISTD syllabi at Vanessa Golborn School of Dance. Olivia successfully completed her training at the Royal Academy of Dance in London where she gained her BA (Hons) in Ballet Education, RAD registered teachers status and her Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Dance. In addition to this, she gained her Advanced 2 Ballet, achieving ARAD status. Olivia has experience teaching a wide range of ages and abilities from baby ballet to Advanced 2 level as well as teaching dance in different sectors. Olivie is currently studying for a Masters degree in Physiotherapy with a keen interest in dance physiology and injury rehabilitation.

Abi Dwyer

Abi began dancing at a young age with VGDance. She went on to complete her vocational training at Italia Conti with a particular focus on commercial and street dance before returning to teach for VGDance. She completed her vocational ISTD and RAD exams and Acrobatic Arts teaching qualification allowing her to further her teaching field.

Megan Coates

Megan trained from a young age at VGDance and has recently graduated from London Studio Centre with a First Class Honours Degree classification in Theatre Dance with a Jazz Dance specialism. Over her three years at LSC she trained in all areas of performance, singing, dancing and acting. During her time there she was fortunate enough to be chosen to perform in many productions and events such as Can You Dance UK. Alongside her degree studies she also completed level 4 Teaching Qualification with the British Ballet Organisation and is continuing to study Level 5 and 6. Megan has choreographed for musicals and has performed as a dancer in pantomimes including her most recent role as Dance Captain for Jack and The Beanstalk. She is currently on a contract as an aerialist/dancer with TUI Sensatori.

Guest Teachers

Throughout the year we try to bring in Guest Teachers for workshops and/or Summer School classes. Some guest teachers we have had in the past include:

Christopher Tendai (Cabaret (Playhouse Theatre), Carousel (Regents Open Air Theatre), Dick Whittington (National Theatre), Matilda (Cambridge Theatre), In The Willows (UK Tour), West Side Story (Royal Exchange Theatre), Original Cast of Hamilton (Victoria Palace Theatre), Jesus Christ Superstar (Regents Open Air Theatre), In The Heights (Kings Cross Theatre), Hairspray (UK & Ireland Tour), CTC Dance Company,

Dougie Mills (Tap Dogs, Take That (Circus Tour) Strictly Come Dancing, Got to Dance (Choreographer for Adam Garcia) Royal Variety (Choreographer for Darcy Bussell), Paralympic Closing Ceremony (Choreographer), Noise Boys, Head of Productions at Performers College)

Mark Webb (Destiny’s Child, Take That, Blue, Elton John, Kylie Minogue, Steps, Girls Aloud, Lionel Ritchie, Spice Girls, Boyzone, Diana Ross and Cher)

Michael Raynaud (Paris Opera Ballet, English National Ballet)

Nicholas Marvel (Pro-Motion, Funkstylerz, UK B-Boy Championship Finalist, Popping and Freestyle specialist)

Lisa Rowley (Tavaziva Dance, Joss Arnott Dance)

Amy J Ireland (Amici Dance, jAMjAR, The Pulse Collective)

We also LOVE to have ex-VGDance students who are now working in the industry back to teach our current students, including:

Harrison Wilde

Ella Middleton

Phoebe Barrow

Emily Coates

Tori Scott

Ellie Mills

Callan Dicker