Verity Teal
Verity started dancing from the age of 4 at the Anne Milton School of Dance and continued her training at the 344 Dance Centre in Bristol, obtaining her advanced grades in modern, ballet and Tap along with her LAMDA grades in speech and drama and also her LCM singing grades. Verity gained her ISTD teaching qualifications and Performing Arts Diploma in Bristol before studying at the Royal Academy of Dance in London to gain her RAD teaching qualification.
Verity enjoyed performing from a young age and regularly danced in local pantomimes, carnivals and charity events and after graduating danced in cabaret and tribute acts in Bristol.
Alongside dancing, Verity was also with the Southwest Casting Agency and regularly worked on set in BBC’s Casualty.
Verity danced and taught in New Zealand from 2004 and returned in 2006 to become Principal at Mountway.
Robyn Higgins
Robyn trained at the Anne Milton School of Dance from the age of 5 years old . And loved dancing in local pantomimes and theatre groups as a child and then later in cabaret groups and charity performances.
Robyn is a very passionate teacher, qualifying with ISTD and RAD in 2012, teaching all three genres Tap, Ballet and Modern at Mountway since qualifying.
Robyn has an exceptional rapport with all students of ages but particularly with the younger students at the school.
Alongside dancing, Robyn is a keen runner and successfully completed the London Marathon in October 2022, with which we are all so proud.
Hannah Seal
Hannah was awarded triple distinction in Btec Performing Arts Dance and A in A Level Dance.
Trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Leeds CAT scheme and then gained a first class degree – BA Hons Dance from the University of Leeds. PGCE in Secondary Dance awarded from the University of Bedfordshire in 2011. Hannah has worked as a dance teacher working in different primary and secondary schools, colleges and community settings. Hannah is pleased to be a part of the Mountway teaching team.
Phoebe Petrov
Phoebe has been performing since the age of 3 and took part in several local shows and productions in and around Bridgwater up until the age of 18. She then went on to train at Perfomers College in Essex where she graduated with a Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre in 2016. Whilst at Performers, Phoebe had the opportunity to perform as a dancer at the FA Cup Final and perform with Ed Sheeren on the X Factor. After graduating she went on to work and travel around the world as a Lead Production Vocalist onboard Costa and AIDA Cruise Lines for 6 years. Phoebe is very passionate about all elements of performing and is very excited to share the love she has for this industry with everyone at Mountway.
Emily Fagence
Emily started dancing from age 4, and studied her RAD and ISTD grades. She took part in the All England Dance Festivals, local Pantomimes and drama productions.
Emily further studied at Elmhurst Ballet School.
After having her own family, Emily achieved her Level 3 Diploma in Pilates, including orthopaedic conditions and pre/post natal Pilates.
Emily’s a valued member of the team and we hope you can join her for Pilates every Wednesday.
Natasha Ballardie
Natasha graduated from the Urdang Academy of Ballet and Performing Arts in 1996, gaining her Teaching Diploma and teaching qualifications with the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) and the Imperial Society Teachers of Dancing (ISTD).
Natasha lived in Istanbul for 12 years, where she worked with some of Turkey’s most elite dancers and teachers.
Since returning to the UK, Natasha has been a freelance teacher in Somerset for various schools and colleges, entering students for their exams and festivals.
In 2011, Natasha was invited to be a trustee for the Taunton Festival of Arts, where she manages the Dance Festival and Taunton Young Dancer of the Year Competition.
Natasha is currently a trainee examiner for BBO Dance.
Tia Coleman
Tia graduated from Performers College in 2023, achieving her BA (Hons) degree in musical theatre and professional dance.
Tia was an existing student at Mountway and achieved all of her RAD Ballet grades and vocational up to Intermediate and her ISTD Modern and Tap up to Advanced 1. She then went on to study at The Space Somerset, gaining triple distinction in her BTEC in performing arts.
She has also participated in festivals and became Taunton Young Dancer in 2018.
Tia is super excited to be joining the Mountway team and seeing lots of familiar faces.
Lucy Catlow
Lucy has danced from the age of 3. She trained at Bird College and is qualified in ISTD ballet, modern and tap.
Lucy has 24 years of teaching experience in dance, musical theatre, singing and drama across London and Somerset and ran her own very successful dance/theatre arts school for 10 years before having her own family. Lucy has entered students for examinations, choreographed for competitions, shows, theatre and TV.
We are delighted to have Lucy as part of our teaching family at Mountway.
Mountway Facilities
The Mountway School is located on the first floor of the Grade 2 listed building The Market House, which sits majestically at the top of North Street, Taunton.
The school is proud to have two dance studios both of which are equipped with professional Harlequin dance floors. There is also a common room for students and parents to wait in and prepare for their classes or do homework before attending a dance class.
The Mountway School is located on the first floor of the Grade 2 listed building The Market House, which sits majestically at the top of North Street, Taunton.
The school is proud to have two studios both of which are equipped with professional Harlequin dance floors. There is also a common room for students and parents to wait in and prepare for their classes or for students to do homework before attending a dance class.