About our teachers
EMILY GOSS
Emily Thornton School of Dance was started in 2011 by myself, Emily. I had a clear vision of a dance school where my children are children, have fun and enjoy the fun and fitness that dance has to offer. From the start I wanted a school where the children aren't a number, they all have names, their personalities are known and their individual skills are acknowledged.

A bit about me............
From a young age I loved dancing, singing and everything associated with the arts. I started dance lessons in Sherborne, Dorset and straight away knew this was what I wanted to do. From thirteen onwards I assisted the teacher at the school I went to. From then on I started performing in various productions, such as the English Youth Ballet and Pantoni Pantomimes. With this clear direction, and at 16, I moved to Bedfordshire to study performing arts full time at Stella Mann Collage of Performing Arts. The course consisted of a wide variety of dance styles as well as musical theatre, singing and acting. I graduated in 2009 with a National Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre.

Since graduating I have performed in Theatre in Education Pantomimes, taught at various schools and worked at Park Club Europe, Tenerife, There I performed in 12 different musicals, playing the lead in 5 of the shows. In addition to performing I also taught the animation team and was assistant choreographer for a new show.
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Since then it has bought out my passion for teaching and seeing the results that can be achieved. So, in September 2011 I opened Emily Thornton School of Dance and have never looked back!

I am a registered teacher with the United Teachers of Dance, and also a registered school with the Board of Dance Qualifications.
All teachers at the school are CRB checked, I have public liability insurance and I am a first aider.
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Sally Akers
Sally has always had a passion for both dance and fitness. She trained at Laban then danced professionally with First Person Dance Theatre performing across the country for several years. Sally graduated as a Further Education teacher and taught A Level Dance and BTEC Performing Arts for over 15 years and directed students in an independent dance company named Fusion, touring in and around London.
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Sally is also a Personal Trainer and Fitness professional working locally in the area. At the age of 17 she represented England in Hamburg in the World Tap Championships and was placed 2nd Female!
BECKY LEER
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Becky starting dancing at the age of four beginning with Ballet and Tap and then joining Jazz, Modern and street. Learning early on that this is what she wanted to do as her career she set her sights on teaching. With a passion for all things bendy and flexible Becky went and achieved her teaching qualification with Acrobatic Arts (AAC2) and likes to incorporate this into all her classes.
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She joined the ETSD team September 2016 as a Saturday morning Assistant in the Primary classes. She has progressed over the years to higher levels and began her teacher training under Emily. As well as doing her training in Tap, Modern and Ballet Becky has gained her teaching qualifications with acrobatic arts (AAC2) , Progressing Ballet technique and Seated dance classes as well as gaining her RTS with Ipath.
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Becky is DBS checked and first aid trained.
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Hannah Clark
Hannah trained at The Urdang Academy and had a 1st Class Honors Degree in Professional Dance and Musical theatre.
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Theatre includes: Jill in Jack and the Beanstalk (Newbury Corn Exchange); Ensemble in The Light Princess: In Concert (Cadogan Hall); Meg/Ensemble in Merrily We Roll Along (Yvonne Arnaud); Ensemble Singer for WhatsOnStage Awards (Prince of Wales Theatre); Ensemble in The Railway Children (Cadogan Hall); Queen Weasel in The Wind in the Willows (Floods Tavern); Sandy in A Tribute to Grease - The Musical (Milan Fashion Week); Alice Fitzwarren in Dick Whittington (Milton Keynes Theatre, First Family Entertainment); Eva Dobson in Somewhere in England (New Wimbledon Studio Theatre); Rory in Bare - The Rock Opera (Old Finsbury Town Hall); Singer in TAS: LIVE (Arcola Theatre) and Thea in Spring Awakening (Old Finsbury Town Hall & Young Actor's Theatre).
Maddison Rowe
Maddison trained at London Studio Centre in the Musical Theatre company Seedtime, graduating with a 1st in Theatre Dance.
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Credits while training include: Playing Veronica in Heathers at The New Wimbledon Theatre, Shell Dockley in Bad Girls at the Pentland Theatre and Audrey 2 in Little Shop of Horrors at the Pleasance Theatre.
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TV and Film credits include: Chloe Howl's official music video 'Work' with Plastic Fruit Studios and Peckham Rose/Featured dancer in 'Teen Spirit' directed by Max Minghella.
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Touring credits include: Dance captain in the UK tour Jukebox and Bobbysox, Ensemble in Andrew Lloyd Webber Musical Gala European Tour.
Chloe Squire
Chloe has been performing for over 22 years and graduated from The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in 2018 with a degree in dance.
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After graduating, Chloe went on to become a performer for TUI Magic Life hotels in Turkey, Italy and Crete. She performed in 7 shows and taught many different styles of fitness classes. Some of her other performances include Phyllis Foster in Mack and Mabel at LIPA, main dancer/model for the House of Suarez: Sun, Moon and Stars vouge performance and dancer in the UK tour Jukebox and Bobbysox.
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Chloe also has lots of experience with teaching, starting at the dance school she grew up in and then continuing into Cambridgeshire and London. She has taught a range of different styles for children age 12M+ all the way up to adults and loves seeing the children develop in confidence and skill.
Denise Mew
Trained locally with Miss Catherine Blellock in Southend and private lessons with Miss Ruth French in Chelsea, attended Bush Davies Schools East Grinstead Sussex as a student for 4 years, went on to dance professionally for Ballet for All, Dublin City Ballet, British Ballet Theatre, Genee Ballet Theatre, Irish National Ballet for 9 years.
Danced principal roles Black Swan Swanhilda, Giselle Queen of the Willis, coached by Sir Anton Dolin, and many ballets both modern and classical. Teachers include Brenda Last, Sir John Field, Kerrison Cooke, Brian Loftus, and many other great teachers and choreographers.
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TV credits include Eurovision Song 1981, Dublin Excalbur film, BBC2 Strauss Gala, and toured with Johann Strauss dancers around the UK with Geraldine Stevens.
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Now successfully teachers since 1990, coaching festivals and RAD exams/classes Guest teacher at Chelmsford Ballet Company.
