The CYDC directors and tutors consist of industry professionals all of whom have a vast experience of dance education, choreography and performance – many of whom were former company members.
Julie Hobday
Emily Robinson
Luke Ganz
Laura Billington
Rebecca Edwards
Julie Hobday is a graduate from University College Bretton Hall (Leeds). She has an MA from Laban and completed her PGCE at the University of Bedford.
Julie has worked in dance education for over 26 years, specialising in the areas of performance, choreography and technique. Since 2001 she has been a Senior Examiner for AQA A Level Dance as well a coursework advisor and now works as a subject leader for the A level Dance. Julie has worked in FE & HE including: Gower College Swansea, Bridgend College, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama as well as delivering CPD training for BTEC and A level teachers through the National Resource Centre for Dance, at the University of Surrey.
She has been Artistic Director of CYDC since 2002. Within her work, she has collaborated with a wide variety of professional artists and organisations incl. Henri Oguike, Frantic Assembly, Richard Alston, Lea Anderson, Russell Maliphant, Rosemary Butcher, Motionhouse and Hofesh Shechter. She has also worked as a choreographer for our sister company, WGYTC on numerous productions and projects as well as continuing her work as both as a freelance dance practitioner within Wales.
Luke Ganz
Luke is a graduate from both Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and London Contemporary Dance School and also has a PGCE from Cardiff University.
Luke has worked with a diverse range of artists and choreographers in both performance and teaching roles incl. Maya Levy, Yael Flexer, Dog Kennel Hill, Ben Wright, Joe Moran, Stacey Spence (Trisha Brown Company), Errol White and Davina Givan, Simonetta Alessandri, Kerry Nicholls, Ransack Dance, Charlotte Darbyshire, Hannah Bruce and Co and Hofesh Shechter.
His other teaching experiences include lecturing at Gower College Swansea, the CAT scheme at The Place, working as an ambassador for National Youth Dance Wales, lecturing at South Essex College and teaching & choreographing at the Mousike Centre for Dance Education in Bologna. He has also worked as a choreographer on productions and projects for WGYTC. Luke has been Co Artistic Director for CYDC since 2014 and is currently a lecturer in dance at both Bridgend College and at Coleg Sir Gar, teaching across courses in both FE and HE. He also works freelance for National Dance Company Wales creating education resources and schools packs, and continues to teach dance in various primary and secondary schools in Swansea
Teaching Team – Rebecca Edwards, Rachel Lewis
CYDC is fortunate to have worked with many leading choreographers and practitioners from the dance industry as well as a network of graduate company members who are already in training or working in the profession who come back to work with our young dancers allowing them to have an experience of current working practices.
Practitioners and Artists who have worked with CYDC have included:
Lea Anderson, Gary Clarke, Henri Oguike, Helen Parlor, Dave McKenna, Doug Comley, Viv Buckley, Matthew Rees, Lucy Heale, Kirsten Collins, Charlotte Eatock, Rhodri Watkins, Emily Crouch, Joseph Toonga, Ricardo Da Silva & Paul Davies