Kelly-Marie Gibbs FISTD LIDTA
Principal
Kelly-Marie was born and bred right here in Berkshire, with an early start to classes when she was just 3 years old at Lubrek School of Dancing in Slough. She continued to train under excellent teachers in all genres of dance and had many successes including becoming a finalist at Miss Dance of Great Britain and reaching the All England Dance Finals on numerous occasions, notably receiving a bronze medal for her solo at the age of 7.
Kelly-Marie balanced her academic studies with dance training and was able to achieve outstanding academic results. However she chose to follow her passion for dance and was awarded a scholarship place at London Studio Centre where she trained in Musical Theatre.
After several years dancing and choreographing professionally, Kelly-Marie was asked to cover a friends class. She discovered a passion for teaching and decided to re-train as an ISTD teacher in both Modern Theatre and Tap Dance. She passed all her teaching qualifications with distinctions, including 98% for her Modern Certificate in Dance Education, during this time Kelly-Marie worked in events and marketing for a corporate company as well as teaching in many dance schools. Rather than stopping with the required teaching qualifications, Kelly-Marie felt she wanted to achieve the highest dance teaching qualification, equivalent to a Masters degree and went on to achieve phenomenal results. She received distinctions for her Licentiate and Fellowship qualifications with the ISTD making her the one of the few people trained to the very highest level with the ISTD. Kelly-Marie completed all of her teaching qualifications at The Linda Sweetzer Teacher Training College.
Kelly-Marie has been teaching for almost 25 years, working along side various Performing Arts Schools, Dance Schools, full-time Theatre Schools and Colleges, including Head of Dance at Redroofs Theatre School for the performing arts on the full-time programme, spending over 13 years at the school.
Kelly-Marie has a passion for Jazz, Modern and Tap dance and enjoys choreographing within these genres. She has had countless successful students working in the industry from TV to Film, Theatre and radio during their time at Azure Theatre School, numerous students go on to train at full time of the UK’s leading theatre schools and colleges and many go on to become successful performers, Kelly-Marie has trained International competition level students, finalists of the ISTD Ballets Awards, ISTD Janet Cram Awards, ISTD Star Tap Awards and The All England Dance Competition.
Kelly-Marie founded Azure Theatre School in December 2007, and has successfully grown it so that it now has almost 300 pupils in their very own studios in Marlow, Bucks. She is enormously proud of her pupils' achievements, and looks forward to the exciting future of Azure Theatre School.
Angela Humphreys LISTD
HEAD OF BALLET
Angela started dancing at the age of three at The Margaret Dixon School of Dancing in Sutton. She enjoyed performing in many different local amateur and professional stage productions alongside achieving her ISTD Advanced 1 Qualifications in Imperial Classical Ballet, Modern Theatre and Tap Dance.
Whilst continuing ballet as a hobby, Angela went to University to pursue something completely different and attained a MEng Degree in Civil Engineering with Distinction!
However, her love of dance was always there, so after giving up work to start a family, she trained to become a qualified dance teacher with The Linda Sweetzer Teacher Training College. She has successfully completed her Licentiate in Imperial Classical Ballet, Diploma in Dance Education (DDE) in Modern Theatre Dance, and Advanced 2 Qualification in Imperial Classical Ballet.
It was in 2011 that Miss Angela first joined Azure Theatre School and has been passing on her love of ballet to Azure students ever since, including her youngest son, who is now a professional ballet dancer. She loves being part of the Azure Team and can’t wait to continue to inspire more and more Azure students.
Phoebe Ballantyne
acro, JAZZ, tap, ballet, COMMERCIAL, MUSICAL THEATRE
Phoebe Ballantyne has been a cherished member of the Azure family for over 13 years, beginning her journey with Azure Theatre School. She honed her skills at Wilkes Academy, where she completed a BA Honours in Musical Theatre over three transformative years. Additionally, Phoebe is qualified in acro through Acrobatic Arts, further expanding her versatility as a performer and most recently has trained with Rosina Andrews on hr teacher training programme.
Passionate about dance and the arts, Phoebe is dedicated to pushing boundaries and inspiring others within the Azure community. She aims to create a safe and encouraging environment for all those who share her passion for dance, fostering creativity and connection among fellow performers. Phoebe's commitment to nurturing talent and promoting a love for the arts shines through in everything she does.
Owen Malone
commerical, contemporary
Owen is a versatile performer and choreographer who recently graduated from the prestigious Wilkes Academy, where he trained under industry-leading artists including Kane Silver, Josh Wharmby, Kamila Zalewska, James Bennet, Ricky Jinks, and many more. His professional career has already taken him across Europe, including a recent tour of Greece as a dancer for major music events. Owen’s performance credits include dancing with the world-renowned group Diversity, as well as choreographing for the iconic Royal Albert Hall.
Alongside his performance work, Owen has over seven years of teaching experience, leading classes, workshops, and masterclasses across the country. His passion for nurturing the next generation of talent is evident through his work on shows and competitions, where he inspires students to push boundaries and reach their full potential.
Maisie Morris
jazz, tap, contemporary
Maisie Morris graduated from London Studio Centre in 2021 and quickly began her professional dance career with a cruise contract on the Aida Nova. After nine months at sea, she continued performing with Headliners Theatre Company on P&O's The Azura. Maisie has also performed at the Rhyl Pavilion Theatre in her first pantomime, Aladdin, as an Ensemble Dancer, and has danced at numerous corporate events, hip-hop, and commercial projects. Passionate about dance and musical theatre, Maisie loves working with young dancers and supporting them as they pursue their dreams.
Aimee Palethorpe
BALLET, TAP, JAZZ, ACRO, ADULT CLASSES
Miss Aimee has been dancing since she was three. She trained in Ballet, Tap and Modern Dance with the Jeannine Greville Dance Academy up to 18 years of age. From there she went on to take her teaching qualifications in Tap and Modern at the Linda Sweetzer Teacher Training college. She has 9 years experience teaching Ballet, Tap and Modern across Berkshire, Oxon and Surrey. She now teaches full time classes for students aged 2 through to adults and graded classes up to Advanced 2.
Grace Clarke
competition choreographer
Grace began her performing arts training from the age of 3 where she competed in many dance competitions throughout the country winning numerous awards. Along side this Grace was lucky enough to begin her acting career with being featured on Nickelodeon ,BBC, Netflix and more. Annie the musical was her first professional musical theatre credit where she played Molly , followed by Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat.
In 2012 Grace was offered a dance scholarship for Redroofs Theatre School where she trained for 5 years going on to study at The Urdang Academy.
Amy McEvoy
jazz, conditioning, ballet
Amy has had a passion for performing from a very young age, beginning her dance training at just three years old. Over the years, she continued to develop her skills through a wide range of training opportunities, including Tring Park Associates.
In 2025, Amy graduated from the prestigious Laine Theatre Arts, achieving both a Level 6 Diploma in Professional Dance and Musical Theatre and a First Class BA (Hons) in Musical Theatre.
During her training, Amy gained professional performance experience with Jordan Productions, appearing as an Ensemble Dancer in their 2024/25 production of Snow White at Eastbourne.
Following graduation, Amy toured the UK with The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, performing as a member of the Ensemble and covering the roles of Clarisse and Sally Jackson.
Now back from life on tour, Amy continues to audition professionally and is excited to see where the next chapter of her performing career takes her.
Alongside performing, Amy has a genuine love for teaching and is passionate about encouraging, inspiring and nurturing the next generation of performers.
Maisy Farrington
jazz tech, contemporary
Maisy has been passionate about dance from the age of two, beginning her training at Bodywork’s Dance Company. She later moved to Leeds to continue her development at SLP and Elite Studios, where she achieved her ISTD Ballet, Tap, and Modern qualifications up to Advanced 1, alongside working with Northern Ballet as a Junior Associate.
In 2018, Maisy returned to the South to complete her BA (Hons) in Dance at Creative Academy, training under renowned artists such as Joshua Pilmore and Ricky Jinks.
Since graduating, Maisy has dedicated herself to inspiring the next generation of performers. She began teaching in further education as a Performing Arts Lecturer at Berkshire College of Agriculture in 2022 and now continues to share her expertise as part of the faculty at Wilkes Academy from 2025.
Katy Holliday
Acro
Originally from North Yorkshire, Katy began dancing at the age of five, training in ballet, tap and jazz. Alongside her dance training, she developed a strong interest in gymnastics and acro, initially teaching herself before beginning formal classes at the age of ten.
Katy went on to compete in dance festivals across the region throughout her childhood and teenage years. At 18, she moved south to continue her professional training at Creative Academy.
After three years of full-time training, Katy graduated with a BA (Hons) in Dance, where she also developed a particular love for commercial and commercial heels.
Following graduation, Katy began auditioning for professional work while teaching dance part-time. It was through this that she discovered a real passion for teaching and for helping young dancers build confidence, develop their technique and enjoy their training.
Katy has now been teaching dance, gymnastics and acro for four years and continues to be passionate about inspiring and supporting the next generation of performers.
James Penniston
LAMDA DRAMA & MUSICAL THEATRE, Singing
James Penniston is a versatile performer with a robust educational background, holding a Degree in Classical Singing from the Royal Northern College of Music and a Master’s in Musical Theatre from the Royal Academy of Music. Since beginning his professional career in 2018, James has showcased his talents across various productions, both professional and amateur, for over twenty-five years. His impressive credits include performances off the West End and with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Most recently, James starred as the titular character in Vivo D’Arte's production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. In addition to his work on stage, James is passionate about nurturing the next generation of performers. With a decade of teaching experience, he has guided students of all ages in LAMDA acting and musical theatre, covering grades 1-8. James is committed to fostering creativity and confidence in his students, helping them to find their unique voices in the world of performance.
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