
Meet The Team

PRINCIPAL
FELICITY CUTTING
R.A.D R.T.S, A.N.A.T.D Modern-Stage, A.N.A.T.D Stage Branch Tap, A.N.A.T.D Street, NATD Certified Contemporary and Gymnastic Dance , P.Cert LAM, A.C.A, A.L.C.M, ISTD DDE Modern, ISTD DDE Tap.
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Felicity has been teaching for over 20 years and is qualified with the Royal Academy of Dance, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and National Association of Teachers of Dancing Associate in Modern-Stage and Street Dance. She is not only an Acrobatic Arts certified instructor but also a certified Acrobatic Arts Adjudicator and qualified in Drama Teaching with London College of Music. Felicity added to her qualifications and qualified with the ISTD in 2021.
Felicity currently teaches Classical Ballet, Modern-Stage, Street dance, Tap, Limber, Pre-School, Boogie Babies, Drama and LAMDA. She is the school's fully trained First Aider and holds a Registered Chaperone License with Derbyshire County Council.
Having grown up within the school and taught at it for 12 years, she also worked in the Arts professionally for many years. Felicity has an abundance of professional credits to her name - both for performing and dance choreography. She spent 10 years as Manager of the Midlands biggest Television Casting Agency for adults. She was winner of Nuneaton Arts Festival in 2008.
Felicity has been a Street Dance coach for Amber Valley Borough Council, Dance tutor for Blend Youth Project and is currently working with many local schools including Mill Hill, Lons Infant School, St John's primary school and Fredrick Gent's to inspire gifted young people in the area.
Theatre Credits include:
Sleeping Beauty - European Ballet at Derby Assembly Rooms, Babes in the Wood - Derby Playhouse, Cinderella - Derby Playhouse
TV, Film & Theatre Credits for Professional Acting work include:
Doctors BBC, Casualty BBC, Turn of the Screw BBC, Land Girls BBC, Hustle BBC, Shameless Channel 4, Mersey Beat BBC, Peak Practise ITV, Crossroads ITV, Cutting It ITV, Goal 3 Film, Dalziel & Pascoe, In a Land of Plenty Film, Boots Training Video, Afternoon Plays BBC, Kiss Me Kate ITV, Jane Eyre BBC, All in the Game Film, Derby Playhouse - Babes in the Wood & Cinderella, Derby Assembly Rooms European Ballet - Sleeping Beauty..... to name a few!!!!
TV Credits for Professional Dance Choreography:
Casualty - Christmas SpecialHip-Hop Nativity - BBC, Doctors - 4 month tap dance story line - BBC.

PAST PRINCIPAL
DIANE FLEMING
​RAD RTS, FNATD Ballet, MNATD Modern-Stage, ANATD Tap, AISTD ISD.
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Miss Fleming (former Principal of the Academy for 40 years!) is qualified with the Royal Academy of Dance, Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance and National Association of Teachers of Dancing and London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Her wealth of expertise and experience are wide ranging and she has several professional dance choreography credits to her name including work for the BBC.
Miss Fleming specialises in the teaching of Classical Ballet, LAMDA and Drama.

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL
GRACE HOLLIS
Miss Hollis was a student at Ripley Academy from a very young age. She has now qualified with the NATD in Tap and Street and holds the RAD professional qualification in Ballet Teachings Studies CBTS. Grace is also Deputy Principal of the academy. Grace is also certified in Contemporary Dance and Gymnastic Dance with the NATD.

DANCE COACH AND PROFESSIONAL DANCER
HARRIET POWELL
Harriet trained at Tring from the age of 11yrs. She holds the certificate in Professional Dance Studies. After graduating from vocational school she performed professionally around the world, most notably as Dance Captain on the Cunard round the world cruise! Harriet joined the Academy in 2020 and specialises in teaching Lyrical and Commercial.