Meet The Team
Sally Carlson
Company Director
Kathy Young
DiverseAbility Dance Manager
Born in Risca in the Gwent Valleys, Sally started dancing at the age of five and as a teenager was a member of
Jumpers Youth Dance Company. She studied dance at the Laban Centre For Movement & Dance and theatre design at Central St Martins School of Art both in London. She was based in Berlin for five years where she worked as a theatre designer/ artist before returning to Wales to set up and run Carlson Dance Company with Co-Artistic Director Emma Carlson before the sisters set up Dance Blast in 1998 in partnership with the Borough Theatre, Abergavenny. Sally has worked in the arts for over twenty five years and has wide experience across many disciplines. In 2011 she completed an MA in Arts Management at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She has two children.
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Emily Pritchard
Lead Dance Teacher
Emily started dancing at the age of four at Geraldine
Harris’ School of Dance, in her home town of Abergavenny. Emily trained at the school in classical ballet and tap, taking several IDTA examinations and working as a teaching assistant with the younger pupils. Emily joined Monmouthshire Youth Dance Company with Emma Carlson in 2007 and has been with the company ever since. Emily has completed workshops and intensives with companies including Earthfall, National Dance Company Wales, National English Ballet, National Youth Dance Wales and was a member of the Beyond Repair Dance Associate Company. She graduated from University of Wales Institute Cardiff with a First Class BA (Hons) Dance degree in 2011. Emily has also worked as a dance teaching assistant for Rhondda Cynon Taff Community Arts and enjoys working with and teaching classes to a wide range of ages.
Zoe Heelas
Administration Officer
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Kim Noble
MYDC Teacher
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Hayley Feehan
Atomic Teacher
Hayley started dancing at the age of five learning tap, jazz and modern in Dot & Margaret Watts stage school and progressed onto Catherines School of Dance in Cardiff. Hayley studied Ba (Hons) Degree in Dance at UWIC focusing on contemporary dance and choreography. Hayley won the Dilys Price award for most improved student in dance. Hayley started teaching dance while at university, teaching street, jazz and tap classes in Cardiff these classes are still running at present. Since leaving university Hayley has been a freelance tutor working with a variety of community and educational organisations working with many different age groups and abilities. Teaching has always been a passion of Hayley's, seeing
participants enjoy themselves while engaging, developing and improving their dance and performance skills.
Fran Higginson
Adults Teacher??
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Ziggy Slingsby
Aerial Teacher
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Esther Fudge
Aerial Teacher
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Kaiya Thomas
Aerial Assistant
Kaiya started learning circus at the age of 8 with NoFit States youth circus and completed Circomedias BTEC course in 2020. She specialises in aerial and her favourite apparatus is silks although she does a mix of ground skills too, including partner acro, hula hoop, movement. Her past experiences include teaching, performing and volunteering with companies such as Circomedia, NoFit State, Circomotion and Up Side Down Circus. She has experience teaching all aerial disciplines, partner acro, conditioning and flexibility. Kaiya has always had a passion for circus and hopes to share her knowledge of circus with people around the globe.
Sammy Varley
DanceAbility Assistant
Sammy has been a member of Monmouthshire Connected Dance Company since it's creation in 2015, performing, creating and collaborating with a variety of choreographers. Sammy is one of Dance Blast's Dance Assistant, supporting Youth and Junior classes in Chepstow. Sammy also enjoys dancing in Dance Blast's Zumba and DanceAbility Adults classes. As well as completing previous training with Stopgap Dance Company, Sammy is currently enrolled in their 12 week Seedbed Inclusive Dance training program.
Lauren Maloney
DanceAbility Assistant
Lauren started dancing at Dance Blast when she was 17 yrs old, attending classes such as DanceAbility Adults and Adults Aerial Dance. Lauren is a Dance Assistant for DanceAbility Youth and Juniors and is currently undertaking a training course about Inclusive Dance with Stopgap Dance Company. Lauren is also a member of Monmouthshire Connected Dance Company, performing locally and collaborating with choreographers during Dance Blast's Ignite Project.
Emma Carlson
Dance Blast Co-Founder
Emma was co-founder of Dance Blast and Artistic Director of Monmouthshire Youth Dance Company from its inception in September 2007 until March 2017.
