Jacqui Ison

MA (Dist.) BA (Hons), (First Class), FISTD, FIDTA, RAD (RTS)

Jacqui has spent most of her life within the world of dance and continues to have a varied and distinguished career. She has been involved in dance competition and dance education across primary, secondary, and higher education for over 35 years. Today, she is a doctoral researcher in competitive dance and recipient of the Dean’s Award from Middlesex University. With an MA in Dance Education, and a BA Hons degree in Performing Arts, specialising in contemporary dance, where she set up her own contemporary dance company, Jacqui has specific expertise in teaching pedagogy and curriculum design within higher education, and in competitive dance within education.

Having trained at the Doreen Bird college of performing arts, Jacqui went on to perform professionally, touring Europe and Africa where she developed a deep interest in world dance culture and music. Returning to the UK, Jacqui established her own dance school producing many young people who went on to establish careers within dance and theatre, as well as training and coaching many national level and world class dance champions. Jacqui was also head of dance within the state sector creating and developing GCSE and A level dance programmes.

As a teacher and choreographer, Jacqui has received many scholarships and awards, as well as achieving fellowship status from the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) and the International Dance Teachers Association in modern theatre, tap and theatre craft, as well as other qualifications from the ISTD in classical ballet, national and classical Greek, and registered teacher status and diploma from the Royal Academy of Dance.

She now combines her academic and research work with adjudicating for the British and International Federation of Festivals, All England Dance, Theatre Dance Council International and the International Dance Teachers Association for Miss Dance and Master Dance of Great Britain