Music box

Kerri Gardiner aged 40, A trained dancer and teacher for over 22 years! Trained in ISTD to Advanced 2 in Ballet, Tap, Modern and Theatre. Kerri then went on to gain a place at the Royal Ballet at aged 16. Then went on to gain a BTEC National diploma in performing arts with a distinction. She then went  to model for Bournemouth and Poole college and wedding magazines show across the UK. After that Kerri went on to performing in pantomimes with people from EastEnders. She then took over the family business in Dance where she took her students to another level with students now performing in This morning, Xfactor, The Steph show and gaining places in top London colleges such as Stella Mann, Performers and many more.  Kerri then had some time out for maternity leave. After having her beautiful children she has now opened up Music Box in Bournemouth which is going from strength to strength now opening new branches in Ferndown and Poole.

Ryarna Darvill, aged 20, trained as a young dancer since the age of 9 competing all over the south and west coast in various different styles such as street dance, tap, modern and contempory. Ryarna then went on to complete her Pre-Bronze, Bronze and silver levels with Distinction in Tap Dance and her Pre-Bronze, Bronze, Silver and Gold levels with Honors in Street Dance. Achiving these, Ryarna competed at the SDI World Championships in 2017 placing 1st along with her duo partner as well as placing 3rd as a soloist. Ryarna is now a teacher at Music Box, specialising in street dance and musical theatre as this is where she thrives

Georgia Phillips aged 23. I have been performing pretty much from the day I could walk with my mum putting me into performing arts schools since I was just a toddler! At the performing arts schools I attended, I studied ballet, tap and modern under the ISTD syllabus, gained my expertise in acrobatics by studying acrobatic arts, followed the LAMDA syllabus for musical theatre and drama as well as training in other versatile dance styles such as jazz, lyrical, contemporary, commercial and street. From then- my love for all things performing continued to grow and I took part in many shows, competitions and dance festivals all over the uk. At age 7, I got my first role in pantomimes held at Bournemouth and Weymouth pavilion performing alongside various Eastenders stars, Dani Harmer (Tracey beaker), comedian Bobby Davro, BGT winners/finalists just to name a few. I was involved in panto season each year until around age 14 where I decided to stop my panto career to focus on my performing qualifications. From age thirteen, I became a student teacher at the dance school I attended where I helped the younger students move up their grades and help them with show work- this is where my love for teaching began. At school, I studied BTEC level 2 dance and BTEC level 2 in music, both in which I earned a distinction*. I also studied GCSE Drama to which I earned an A. During my time on the BTEC level 2 course, I was lucky enough to perform at the prestigious ‘Royal ballet school’ in London which is was a core memory for me as a performer. During this course, I also had lots of opportunities to take part in a variety of local performances held at the pavilion theatre, the Poole lighthouse and PDSW. Pavilion Dance southwest (PDSW) was also where I was put on placement for work experience- they only choose 1 student from the Dorset area per year so it was an honour to be hand selected. During my time in this placement, I learnt invaluable key features about working within the choreographic industry. Moving on to further education, I attended leaf studio school where I earned my BTEC level 3 extended diploma in performing arts. During my time at leaf, I was lucky enough to be handed many opportunities such as flying to New York and taking part in dance classes with the Alvin Ailey dance company and a masterclass with the Broadway choreographer for ‘kinky boots’. I was assigned a lead role as ‘Margot’ in legally blonde the musical and also competed in rock challenge where we won the 1st place title as UK national champions. A group of myself and other students choreographed a routine for a primary school to compete in ‘junior rock challenge’ where they placed 3rd out of the whole of England, Scotland and wales. As well as my extensive knowledge in dance, I have also been vocally trained. At age 10, I performed at the o2 arena in London for ‘young voices’ where we also broke the world record for the biggest ensemble of singers. At age 15, I was cast in the ensemble of the west end touring production of ‘ABBA Mania’. From my early teens, I have also done cheerleading alongside my other extra curricular activities. This opened my eyes to a whole different world of performing. With being almost every role (flyer, base and tumbler) within my squads and competing around the country , I have gained much expertise within this sport that I love dearly. I am beyond excited to share my knowledge as a teacher at music box with the younger generation, help them achieve their goals and watch them thrive.

Dancing has been a passion of Lauren's since the age of 3. Since then she has continued her journey through teaching and sharing her enjoyment of dance with others. This led her to achieving a BA (Hons) Degree in Dance & Performing Arts at Winchester University. She later broadened her skills by qualifying in Acrobatic Arts, teaching children of all ages the fusion of gymnastics and dance. She currently teaches a variety of Dance, Drama and Acro classes to a range of ages, from toddlers to older adults in several dance establishments, primary schools, and nurseries throughout Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and New Milton.

I began dancing at 8 years old in freestyle disco. I achieved Gold Cross in NATD freestyle exams achieving distinctions in each exam. I competed in freestyle competitions around the country at champ level in lyrical, fast and pairs. I also competed in Lindy hop and street competitions within the freestyle community. Trained at Middlesex university graduating in 2020 with BA (Hons) dance practices - choreography award I began teaching in 2019 in London at Big Time Academy as a dance and musical theatre teacher. Including styles such as ballet, Lindy Hop, contemporary, lyrical, Hip Hop, Jazz and choreography classes. Later becoming head of pre school within the company and also filling the role of acting principal. I led multiple summer/half term camps throughout my time at big time with ages ringing from 3-12 I was youth theatre production choreographer for two years before moving back up north with my two year old daughter. After moving back up north to be closer to my family, I began working at the Charlotte Jaqueline School of Dance as Musical theatre lead aswell as teaching RAD ballet to Pre Primary, Primary and Grade 1 students all achieving highly in their exams. I have partaken in multiple Lamda training courses in musical theatre entering students into their exams all of which achieved high distinctions. In my free time I enjoy reading, spending lots of time with my beautiful daughter who is also becoming a mini performer!!!

Becky Johns, 23 Years Old. My passion for dancing began when I joined a dance school called Dance Divas at 8 years old. From the first lesson I fell in love with dancing and this love of performing has grown with me into adulthood. I grew up taking classes in ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, street, commercial, disco freestyle and rock ‘n roll, competing in ISTD disco freestyle competitions to national level. During these competitions I won lots of trophies, and my proudest achievement was coming 2nd with my street set dance at national finals in 2016. Throughout my time at Dance Divas, I was part of a commercial crew called Girls Next Door who competed at competitions and performed in shows. I also completed various exams and performed in many shows, taking me around the country to perform in a variety of venues and theatres. I became a student teacher at the age of 14 which led to supporting the younger students through exams, competitions and shows. I furthered my training studying GCSE dance then UAL Level 3 Dance at college, where I had opportunities to learn from a wide range of professionals from the industry. I was also lucky enough to spend 4 seasons as young company and ensemble dancer in Christmas pantomime at Theatre Royal Winchester. In 2017 I had the opportunity to be a part of a crew called Team SCUK who came 2nd in national HHI finals and qualified to compete and represent England at the World HHI finals in America. Now as an adult, my love for dance is still very strong and I regularly take classes in lyrical and commercial heels. Recently, I have performed at the Bournemouth Hospitality and Tourism Awards as well as charity events for Pop4Diabetes and Bone Cancer Research UK. I am very excited to join the Music Box team and I hope to inspire and pass on my experience to the next generation of dancers!