Teachers

Phyllis Hayes - Principal
B.Phil (Hons) RAD RTS. AISTD(MB) Dip.

Phyllis has been both owner and principal of Corrib Dance Academy (CDA) for almost ten years. Just over two years ago, she decided that the Academy needed a permanent home in Galway and the resultant Corrib Dance Academy Studios were built in Briarhill Business Park. This move to a permanent home was a momentous time for the Academy allowing the school to fully realise it's potential in many ways.

With two purpose built dance studios operational it was possible to expand the programme of classes on offer to include a full programme of dance classes from children through to adults and at the same time offer unrivalled facilities for more serious students With these very talented Galway girls in mind, Phyllis founded the Vocational training programme in 2003 to allow the most able students to be identified, and their training streamlined and tailor made to prepare them for a career in dance. With thirty students now enrolled in the Vocational Programme, CDA now has the highest number of students in Ireland training at this level. Phyllis and her team at CDA will launch a new youth dance company, Youth Ballet West, in December to coincide with the Academy's tenth anniversary.

Previous to moving to Galway, Phyllis spent five years teaching at Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) schools in Italy, Greece and Germany where she prepared many students for graded and vocational examinations as well as staging numerous performances in venues as diverse as a converted cinema in Greece and a piazza in Southern Italy. Phyllis is one of the most highly qualified and experienced teachers in Ireland having added to her existing diplomas in classical ballet and modern dance by gaining a BA in Ballet and Contextual Studies from the University of Durham in 2002. She was appointed a mentor for the RAD in 2005, enabling her to train teachers under the auspices of the RAD.

Judith Sibley - Senior Teacher
ARAD PDTD RTS RBS Dip.

Dublin born Judith studied at Elmhurst Ballet School and the Ballet Rambert School, London. She has worked with Vienna Festival Ballet, Rubato Ballet, New Balance Dance Company, Ballet Ireland, Spirit of the Dance, Phantom of the Opera and the Irish National Youth Ballet. Judith has toured Internationally in such productions as Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Giselle and coppelia.

Judith is principal dancer with Cork City Ballet and has choreographed three short pieces for the company. As well as her busy performance career having gained the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) professional dancers teaching diploma with distinction Judith teaches at Shannon, and Corrib dance academies.

She is an RAD international tutor and has taught ballet at summer schools as far apart as Singapore and Italy. Judith is Artistic Director of Chrysalis Dance and has choreographed Strings, Wishes and Waves, and Love and other disguises for the company. She was awarded a choreographers bursary by the Arts Council in 2005 and since 2006 Chrysalis Dance has been supported by the Arts Council.

Leighton Morrison
Arts Ed Dip.

Leighton trained at Arts Educational school, London. After graduating he travelled to Israel to work with Bat-Dor Company where he remained as a soloist for two years. Leighton has performed with companies including English National Opera, Rotterdam Dance Group, Wayne Sleeps Ballet Company, Vienna Festival Ballet. He subsequently became a member of the English National Ballet where he stayed for three seasons performing in all the major classics. He then joined the hit musical Cats as lead dancer Mistoffelees, followed by Anything Goes and the UK and World tour of Saturday Night Fever. Among various TV and film appearances, Leighton has worked with directors including Oliver Stone.

In Ireland he has worked with Ballet Ireland, Cois Ceim, Cork City Ballet, Irish Modern Dance, and most recently Catastrophe & Chrysalis Dance in the Galway Arts Festival.

Trisha Mc Dermott
BA in Ballet Education, RAD RTS, ARAD, LRAD Level 1-3

Trisha trained at the Royal Academy of Dance headquarters in Battersea, London where she gained her BA in Ballet Education. Trisha also completed the RAD Licentiate course, the highest award associated with the academy .Having successfully completed all three levels she achieved her Vocational Advanced Two Examination and was invited to become an associate member of the Royal Academy of Dance as well a registered teacher. After graduating from the academy, Trisha spent a year teaching classical ballet in schools around London, one of which was the Arts Educational Saturday school which is a vocational performing arts school based in Chiswick, London.

In her early years Trisha trained at the Sylvia Behan School of Ballet in Dublin. Later on in her teens she moved to Roscommon where she then trained at Shawbrook based in Legan, Co. Longford under the guidance of Anica Lowe and was also a member of the Irish National Youth Dance Company. For many years she took part in the Irish National Dance Awards and was awarded the over all senior prize in 2005.

Ciara Kavanagh
BA

Ciara trained at Corrib Dance Academy where she achieved Advanced 1 in Modern dance while completing an Honours BA degree in English and Psychology from NUIG. From there she spent a year at Margaret Howard's Theatre Organisation, Hertfordshire, where she gained invaluable experience under the tuition of many past West End and Broadway performers, professional ballet dancers and ISTD examiners studying ballet, modern, jazz, tap, hip hop and contemporary dance. She has a love for musical theatre and has been choreographer and assistant choreographer for Athenry Musical Society on many occasions. Ciara has made the transition from student to teacher at Corrib Dance Academy and is also assistant teacher at Tuam Academy of Dance and dance coach at Stagecoach, Galway. She is currently completing her ISTD qualifications.

Prop and Costume Designer

Claire Lillis

Claire Lillis has been both dancing and working with The Corrib Dance Academy since its inception in 1997. By trade she is a mechanical design engineer and has also recently founded a prop design company called 'Eyelash Design'. She has most recently worked with Youth Ballet West and previously with Chrysalis Dance. Some of her most motable designs for these companies include the head dresses for 'Ballet Egyptien', the Wolf's head piece for 'Once Upon a Time' and the 'Ruby Slippers' in 'Over The Rainbow'.