Frances

Frances Ryan

LISTD MB, AISTD IB (Dip) RSA, CDE.

Frances Ryan is a fully qualified and registered dance teacher of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. She holds Licentiate status within the organisation and also holds a CDE, Certificate in Dance Education, with the same teaching body.

Frances also holds certificates in Anatomy and Physiology, History of Dance and Occupational First Aid.

Frances began her dancing career at the age of 7 with 'Annette Hynes School of Classical Ballet and Modern Theatre Dance'. While attending the school, she achieved high honours in all the graded exams up to and including Intermediate level.

On leaving school, Frances auditioned and was accepted into 'Merseyside Dance and Drama Centre', Liverpool, where she completed the teacher-training course and received her teaching qualifications with Distinction.

In college, Frances studied Classical Ballet, Modern Theatre / Jazz dance, National, Contemporary, Tap, Pas de Deux work/Repetoire, Drama, Musical Theatre and Singing. While in the UK, Frances danced professionally in musical theatre productions and pantomimes.

She continued performing on stages around Ireland when she returned home and has appeared in many productions such as, 'Cabaret', 'Oklahoma' – where she danced the part of Laurie in the dream scene, 'Carousel' – where she played the part of Louise, 'Fiddler on the Roof', 'Showboat', 'My Fair Lady' and many more.

Aside from teaching children and students during the day, Frances also currently works as a professional choreographer. She has enjoyed working with Musical Societies around the country on a huge variety of shows - 'Grease', 'Kiss Me Kate', 'Bugsy Malone' 'West Side Story' to name a few - and she has won several awards for her choreography.

At the beginning of her teaching career, Frances taught in several dance schools and primary schools in County Wicklow. She returned to work for Annette Hynes in the early nineties and in 1994 took over the school and it became 'Frances Ryan School of Dance'.

The school has since expanded into Gorey, Co. Wexford and into Avoca, Co. Wicklow. In the early 2000's she was chosen to teach and prepare students to demonstrate new syllabus work at an International Dance Congress for the ISTD. She also became one of the first people to hold Licentiate status in Ireland.

Frances believes in the power of dance to build confidence and self-esteem in all children. Her obvious love of dance ensures that talent is nurtured in a positive and encouraging environment. She also believes it is so important, that children and students are taught properly by qualified teachers in order to build on the talent that is so obvious in our society today.

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Frances Ryan School of Dance offers training to the highest standards in Classical Ballet, Modern Theatre/Jazz Dance, Tap and Hip Hop.

All of our teachers are qualified under The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD), the world's leading dance examination board.