OUR STAFF

STUDIO MANAGING DIRECTOR (TRISTAN DANCE STUDIOS)

My name is Tristan Nigel Edgar and I am the Principle of the Freestyle Branch & studio manager.

My Mum Elaine Edgar started this dance school 40 years ago and renamed it Tristan Dance Studios in 1980 when I was born. I started dancing at about the age of two and have medals in Ballroom and Theatre Branches. By the age of five I was participating in all dance styles, competitions and studio shows. Close to turning fifteen I was touring with a theatre company, performing in Cabaret Nights and Murder Mysteries, which was great fun.

I started my student teaching at the age of fifteen and by seventeen I took my first dance teacher degree. I opened Dance Studio 3 in May 1998 and took a second dance degree when I was 20. I guess dancing was in my blood.

A big part of my role for the Tristan Dance Studios is the marketing and advertising of all our classes and courses that the studio runs. The website is updated and created by myself along with the studio's timetable and room hire. When it is show time I have a large responsibility for the stage management including music, lights and microphones also any problems that occur on the day technically.

I have choreographed various routines for shows over the years and I have appeared on TV in such programs as Where the Heart is and My Parents are Aliens, and dancing on ice dancing different styles of dances.

PRINCIPLE OF BALLROOM AT THE TRISTAN DANCE STUDIOS

My name is Elaine Edgar and I am the Principle of the Ballroom Branch

I am qualified to Fellowship level and I am also an Examiner for the IDTA. My career started in 1970 and went on to open the Elaine Edgar School of Dance, which changed names to Tristan Dance Studios in 1980.

I teach every branch of Ballroom and Irish dancing and train medallists from Rosettes upwards and many professionals to gain their teaching qualifications. I get a great deal of satisfaction from my work with children and adults with special needs in which we run programs specifically for.

I enjoy choreography and have worked on Yorkshire Television creating sequences for many TV programmes including Where the Heart is and also My Parents are Aliens, Emmerdale.

DANCE TEACHER LATIN,BALLROOM &FREESTYLE BRANCH(TRISTAN DANCE STUDIOS)

Hello my name is Katy Butler and I have been dancing since the age of six. I caught the dancing bug after joining my local dance school training in Freestyle, Street, Rock and Roll and Latin American. At the age of sixteen I began my teaching career and trained towards my first teaching qualification in Freestyle dancing. As a result of this exam I was nominated for the John Dilworth Scholarship award.

Since qualifying I have been dedicated to developing my skills as a dance teacher. In September 2007 I started studying for my Degree in Dance Teaching and graduated in September 2009 with distinction and a letter of commendation from my university. I am now finishing my BA in Dance Development with plans to graduate in September 2010. In addition to this I have been working towards and gained further teaching qualifications with the IDTA.

As well as managing my own personal development I have also been helping students to start their career as a dance teacher. I have just finished training my first cohort of students for their teaching qualification in Freestyle dancing, all of which obtained the highest grade and one student was nominated for the John Dilworth Scholarship award.

DANCE TEACHER BALLROOM & FREESTYLE BRANCH (TRISTAN DANCE STUDIOS)

Hello, my name is Lindsay Sarah Edgar and I have been dancing since the age of 6 years old. I remember very clearly begging my parents to let me start dancing but because I am very clumsy they didn't see me as the blooming ballerina. When I started dancing the styles of dance I was learning were Ballet, Tap and Disco. Every year we put on an annual show which consisted of three shows over two days and I think here is where I really got the dancing bug. There is nothing like the feeling of performing in front of an audience and even now I still plan on dancing in future shows. This is something that we encourage at the studios after all dance has to be performed.

I started at the Tristan Dance Studios in 1998 learning Ballroom Latin and Freestyle. This is where I met Tristan and we were married in 2001. Being a member of the family and adding that I love to dance it was inevitable that I too would join the teaching team here at the Studios. In addition to teaching I am also responsible for the administration of the studio including marketing, timetabling and dealing with all the enquiries. At the moment I am currently working towards completing my Associate Ballroom qualification.

STUDENT DANCE TEACHER BALLROOM & FREESTYLE BRANCH (TRISTAN DANCE STUDIOS)

My Name is Emma Louise Donaldson and I have been with the Tristan Dance Studios since January 2009. Dance became a passion and when I started at the studios I expanded my knowledge of dance to include Ballroom, Latin American, Freestyle and Salsa. Since being a part of the team at the Tristan Dance Studios I have grown into a new person with an increased confidence not only in my dancing and teaching ability but also in general life situations. The motto of live 2 dance and dance 2 live is a very potent message and describes perfectly how I feel about dance. There is no better feeling than to teach a routine to a wedding couple and see them excel and accomplish the movements with effortless grace, this is confirmation that I am doing my job right and the recommendations received from customers makes me very proud of all I have achieved at the Tristan Dance Studios. My forthcoming goals are to work towards my Associate Ballroom and also Freestyle teaching qualifications and should have at least one of these qualifications early in the new year.

PRINCIPLE OF THEATRE at NIGEL'S DANCE PLACE

Hello, my name is Nigel Edgar and I am the Principle of Nigel's Dance Place based at the Tristan Dance Studios.

I am qualified to Fellowship within all styles of the Theatre Branch and I am also an Examiner for the IDTA. I teach Classical Ballet, Tap, Modern Jazz, Contemporary Dance, Theatre Craft and I have also trained in Ballroom and Latin American.

I have choreographed and performed for the catwalk, as well as making several appearances on TV. I have lectured in various parts of the country and I have adjudicated at the IDTA Nationwide Freestyle and Rock 'n' Roll championships at Blackpool.