“If you’ve ever been to a festival or half-term event in Stratford-upon-Avon, chances are you’ve seen (and marvelled at) the amazing dancers from Rozie T Dance Company showcasing their wonderful dance routines. Lead by professional dance teacher, Roseann, they’re a brilliant and inspirational group of young local dancers of all ages and a real credit to the town.” ~ SUAonline

The RozieT Dance Academy places a great deal of emphasis upon fun and a sense of community but also believe that dance is a valid career choice, and at their heart, they seek to deliver training up to professional industry standards. This means they push students hard but it also means that they stand out from anyone else locally in their attitude and values and above all, in the quality of their work.

The Rozie T Ethos

• Training takes inner and outer strength.
• You quickly realise no one is undergoing your path- this journey is one where you need self-determination.
• We prepare the dancer, gently but quickly.
• We introduce the audition process early so it becomes a process they understand, accept and can cope with.
• We focus upon teaching performance skills and technical skills.
• We teach the correct genres required for a dance career.
• We train our dancers not only to understand what the process is, but what is expected.
• Serious dancers all discover something tough- yes, if you want a career in dance you HAVE TO study ballet- we make it accessible to non-ballet students.
• We help very talented contemporary dancers get to grips with ballet as quickly as possible.
• We are not precious about ownership.
• We bring in as many professional guest teachers as possible throughout the year for no extra cost for our students.
• We perform actively- as often as possible.
• We compete occasionally- we concentrate on the stuff that really matters.

Roseann ‘Rozie T’ Torley

Rozie is short for Roseann. She began dancing at a young age, but knew she wanted to pursue a career in dance from Year 7 when she got to work with the London Contemporary Dance Theatre as they ran a workshop at her school.

She was able to arrange her first work as a dancer via the Yorkshire Dance Centre, under the direction of Antony Waller, and she was only 14 when she began taking her first classes.

Over the next few years she began to show a prestidgeous talent for teaching and peforming- she was the youngest dance teacher at the famous Leadmill Arts centre in Sheffield, took classes at Dancers Republic under Verity Clark, was a founder member of The Reality Dance Company, helped turn a residency program by Rambet Dance into a Community Youth Dance group AND do this while studying for her A Levels.

She gained her Equity Card by being a founder member of the Meadowhall Dancers, the first dance company employed by a shopping centre and all of this before she even began her professional training.

Rozie trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD) from 1996 to 1999 (representing the students there as Student union President in 99), where she studied under some exceptional lecturers including our patron Namron.  During that time she not only managed to graduate but ended up becoming events manager of The Tunnel Club Dance Troupe- an elite performance team, working nightclubs all over the country.

Rozie began her international career after graduation, forming Diablos Dance Company, the first professional contemporary dance company in Andalusia, and served as principle dancer and artistic director.  Later she was events manager for Spanish radio statio 95.5 BFM, organising roadshow performances and bespoke party events. Rozie also worked as events manager for Olivia Valere and also for Ku De Ta in Bali.

Rozie maintained her freelance performance work during this time including famously dancing on pointe on top of a Mosque in Marrakesh (more impressive given she was fighting off malaria at the time).

Around 2005 Rozie began working with Inma Guerro, one of Spain’s most talented and respected ballet dancers, joining the staff of her Performing Arts School of Marbella orginally as the teacher of Street and Contemporary Dance but eventually becoming Assisstant Director before the loss of venue closed the school down.

Rozie relocated to the UK about then and began her academy in Chipping Campden…

As well as this she moved more into the field of formal Dance Education working with local schools- since she started teaching GCSE Dance she has reported a 100% A*-C grade success rate with her students and an average of 75% A*-B grade for them.  It is a measure of the power of her teaching methods that over the last 2 years a half dozen of her GCSE students have been accepted onto university level courses without the need for A Level dance.