Teaching staff

Miss Yvonne was originally trained at the School under the direction of Miss Yvette Sargent and Miss Mavis Butler – both well recognized examiners and teachers in their field. She has been trained in all subjects, and has achieved all her major qualifications from the ISTD. A working knowledge through years of experience enables her to adapt her teaching methods to suit all ages and abilities, whether the pupil is dancing purely for pleasure, or aiming for a career in the industry.

By attending regular courses, her skills and knowledge are kept up to date, including the changing approaches to teaching pupils. Yvonne is also an approved tutor to coach pupils for teaching qualifications in the four branches of dance.

She has been the choreographer of Chesham pantomime for several years and is currently the trophy Secretary for the Chesham Arts Dance festival.

Alongside running her school Yvonne also works as a freelance teacher. She also sits on the White Hill Centre committee. The White Hill Centre is ‘the home of the dance school’.

Yvonne is a member of the Board of Management of the Elgiva Theatre, Chesham.

During this time she took part in the Chesham Arts Festival, Choreographic competitions and several Elgiva pantomimes.

Zoe is a recent psychology graduate and during her time studying became Captain of the Northampton university dance club, and choreographer for jazz and hip hop, placing in the largest inter-university dance competition in the UK. In addition to this the team won the Northampton University Sports Club of the year.

Currently, Zoe is helping at the Dance Psychology lab at Hertfordshire University, working to investigate the benefits of dance for individuals with mental health issues. Furthermore, Zoe hopes to go on to complete her masters in mental health and wellbeing with the intent to further her research into the benefits of dancing for induvials with mental illness.

Zoe is currently teaching a NEW specialist class at the Sargent and Plester school on contemporary movement, limbering & flexibility.

Sophie has just finished completing her DDE teaching qualifications in Tap, Modern, and Ballet, and has also gained her Street Associate qualification.

Sophie started her professional training at Margaret Howard Theatre College in Watford and then continued her training at Performers College in which she was awarded a scholarship. Sophie has recently gained a place with the Tap Attack Associates programme to further her knowledge and training in the Tap dance genre. Sophie’s passion for teaching has blossomed since starting at the school in 2016 and loves teaching a wide range of students of all ages.

 

Isabelle has completed DDI and DDE in Classical Ballet, Modern Theatre and more recently has studied the new ISTD Contemporary syllabus.

She has enjoyed developing her teaching skills under the guidance of Miss Yvonne and feels that this strong dance background has been a huge benefit in establishing her own Personal Training business. Isabelle adores teaching and wants to keep passing on her love of dance to others.

 

She studied singing as part of her degree in Music at the University of Manchester achieving a 1st in her final vocal recital.

At the age of 11, she had a solo role on the West End in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘The Woman in White’. Since University, Freya has performed roles in Musicals and Operas including Woman 1 in ‘Songs for a New World’, Mabel in ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ and The Novice in Puccini’s ‘Suor Angelica’. Freya also enjoys directing, having been assistant director for the World Premiere of a new opera, ‘Mysterious 44’, and she has directed productions of Handel’s ‘Acis and Galatea’ and Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘The Mikado’. Freya is a Choral Scholar at St Martin-in-the-Fields in London and regularly sings in other choral ensembles.

Freya learnt to Dance at Sargent and Plester from the age of 4 and she is excited to come back to the school to teach the next generation of young performers. Her future plans are to pursue a professional career in Musical Theatre and Performance.

She has facilitated and directed theatre in a variety of different contexts including; working in state and public schools across the county; working within the criminal justice system, and directing children’s theatre. Catherine is a versatile and energetic performer who uses movement and dance in her work. She is passionate about making theatre for social change. Previously, Catherine has performed and produced shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival based around physical theatre and movement. Her most recent credits include, Assistant Directing the immersive theatre Beatrix Potter Tea Party, at the Guernsey Literary Festival. Catherine is also a musician and has tutored and directed at the National Youth Music Camps.
Catherine has taught LAMDA for a number of years and is keen for pupils to see taking LAMDA exams as a way to build confidence in themselves and their art. Catherine is exceptional at teaching her pupils how to use narrative, voice, and movement to create high quality pieces for their LAMDA exams. She explores drama as a way to express, energize, and engage with an audience.
Catherine is very excited to teach at Sargent and Plester and spread her love of drama and theatre.