Qualification: I.S.T.D Fellowship
Classes Taught: Street Dance / Hip Hop, Tap, Formation.

Scott is the elder son of Margaret and started dancing at the age of five. At sixteen he went to the London Studio Centre to finish his training with a three-year diploma course. Scott has worked in many theatre productions, including numerous Trade & Fashion Shows, a world tour of Carmen and shows for the Walt Disney Company that have taken him to places such as Paris and Dubai. Scott was also the lead dancer/singer on the Star Princess, where he spent six months cruising the Caribbean, South America and Alaska. His television credits include The Royal Variety Performance, The Prince’s Royal Gala, Comic Relief, The Disney Kids Awards, and The Brits Awards, dancing and working alongside artists such as Westlife, Atomic Kitten, Mis-teeq, Robbie Williams, Boyzone, Shirley Bassey, Barry Manilow and many more. Scott has danced in adverts for Sainbury's, The Halifax, Discovery Card and the Coca Cola Company and in 1999 he was a feature in the Head & Shoulders advert.

Scott is an experienced choreographer and has produced many shows for Makin' Steps. Other choreography credits include Channel 4’s “The Hoobs”, featuring 21 of the school’s pupils, the Playhouse’s 30th Anniversary Gala, comprising over 200 performers, four Pantomimes at the Playhouse, which again included over 30 pupils from Makin’ Steps, as well as “West Side Story” and “Cabaret” for Playhouse Theatre Company

Scott has also choreographed for the girl band called NEXUS who performed on the Star For A Night final, and was pleased to choreograph their first video, "Tell Me". He also produced a number for the rap star "Raghav", which was shown on Top of the Pops, and in early 2005 he choreographed two shows for the Dubai shopping festival. He has also used some of Makin‘ Steps’ pupils to demonstrate while he took lecture classes at the ISTD, showing teachers from all over the world his teaching methods.

Scott is very proud to be a part of Makin’ Steps and has seen many of the school’s pupils go on to further their careers in the entertainment business. Sharing with our pupils the knowledge and experience that he has gained over the years is something that he is very passionate about and he feels blessed to be doing a job which he loves. He is a qualified teacher in the ISTD at the level of Fellowship - an exam that he passed with 98%.

Qualification: I.S.T.D Fellowship
Classes Taught: Street Dance / Hip Hop, Tap, Formation, Singing.

Ross began dancing at the age of four and went on at sixteen to train professionally with a scholarship at the ‘Brian Roger’s Performers College’. Having become fully qualified at the level of Fellowship he now teaches more than twenty classes a week at the school. Ross has also taught part time at ‘Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts’ one of the UK’s leading musical theatre & drama schools. Teaching areas include hip-hop, commercial jazz, singing, street tap, audition technique, body conditioning and pas de deux.

He has worked extensively with Kylie Minogue - starting with his television appearance on ‘An Audience With…’ right through to TOTP Awards, MTV Awards, Brit Awards, Smash Hits and the Jay Leno Show in L.A. Other appearances include Cliff Richard’s Millennium and Route of Kings Concerts, Children in Need, A Star for a Night final and major car launches in Cannes and Monte Carlo.

His experience as a musical director includes ‘Live at Her Majesty’s’ in London’s West End and the numerous variety showcases with ‘Makin’ Steps’. Ross produced and arranged a Broadway Showcase of song & dance that he took to The Dubai Shopping Festival and has choreographed for Herbal Essence, Sista Style Trade show and Panasonic in Dubai using performers from ‘Makin’ Steps Agency’ of which he is also co-director.

In addition to ‘Makin’ Steps’ Ross runs his own recording studio producing, mixing and editing original music and demo sessions. Ross’ projects include creating the music for pantomimes and musicals at The Playhouse Harlow and recording the voices for ‘Willows Farm Village’ stage shows and animated events. Commissioned by CYP (Children’s Audio Publishers) he produced the music for ‘Times Table Challenge’ – a CD that is currently on sale in Early Learning Centres worldwide and various internet web sites such as Amazon and iTunes.

Qualification: HND in Visual and Performing Arts (Drama).
Classes Taught: Acting.

From an early age, Jim got the acting bug as he went from Nativities to School plays and from the tender age of 9, appeared in the chorus of “Joseph and The Amazing Technocolor Dreamcoat” at Newcastle’s Gulbenkian Studio.  Ever since then Jim has been as busy as possible getting involved in as many different shows as possible – from Shakespeare to Farcical Melodrama – and at the age of 17 won the Mike Fry Award for Acting at Haydon Bridge High School.

Jim then went on to study for an HND in Performing Arts at the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Newcastle College.  After graduating in 1997, specialising in Brecht, he moved to Harlow to be closer to the action of London and, armed with ‘"an accent thicker than a whale omelet’", immediately got involved in Pantomimes at the Harlow Playhouse, first appearing in Aladdin in 1997/98 and continuing for the next six Pantos, where he first got to work with Scott and Makin Steps.  Jim has been in numerous shows over the years, especially for Harlow Theatre Company, where he is a member of the Committee.  Jim was also a founder member of the now defunct Playhouse Theatre Company and strives to bring great quality theatre to the local community.

Teaching children drama was something that Jim fell into when he was offered the role of Drama Tutor for Harlow Ballet in 1999.  After two years there it was another four years before he joined Rhodes Arts Theatre School in Rainham, Essex, where students he trained went to successfully get parts in Eastenders, Holby City, BBC ‘Five Days’ (series 1), The Bill and various other TV shows and movies.

Since then Jim has been a supply drama teacher for various schools around Essex but is glad to have finally joined Makin Steps permanently, having dipped in and out of teaching with them for the last few years.

As a professional performer, Jim had a spell as a member of Pandora’s Box, touring with 'Little Red Riding Wolf', then went on to work for PinPoint Productions in Grays with ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, ‘Teechers’ and TIE show ‘Remember Us’ based at Tilbury Docks.  Jim has also worked as a puppeteer in the movie ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ and worked with the Scissor Sisters on the Brit Awards. For the last 3 years Jim has been working at Willow’s Farm Village performing in the Show Barn as ‘Farmhand Bob’ and is the voice of Tristan the Tractor, as well as other characters on the farm.
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His accent is not so strong now, but, 13 years after moving to Harlow, his passion for good drama, entertaining the masses and working with, and teaching, children is stronger than ever!

Qualification: ISTD Diploma in Dance Education.
Classes Taught: Street Dance / Hip Hop, Ballet, Tap, Modern.

Victoria started dancing with Makin’ Steps at the age of four. Over the years she has taken part in all of its productions, including Harlow Playhouse pantomimes and the Playhouse Theatre Company’s production of Cabaret. At sixteen she went on to continue her studies at Harlow College gaining her qualifacations in A- Level dance & a Btec national diploma.

 

Victoria then moved onto North London Dance studios for two years where she gained her FDI and finished off her teacher training at Anthony Clifford college where she passed her DDE in modern and tap with Flying colours.

 

Victoria is very proud to be working alongside the other staff at Makin' Steps and feels even more part of the family getting married to Scott in 2010.

Victoria’s professional work includes a role as a featured artist in a Central Office of Information advertisement.

Currently she currently teaches tap, strret dance, ballet and modern classes.

Qualification: ISTD Certificate in Dance Education.
Classes Taught: Ballet, Tap, Modern.

Gemma is the newest member of the Makin’ Steps team and has been brought in to take the schools Ballet classes. She has her ISTD Certificate in Dance Education in Ballet, Tap Modern & National.

Gemma trained at Penny Meekings, Gary Lloyd studios, Pineapple Performing Arts School, Elston School of Dancing & Doric Dance Centre studying Disco, Freestyle, Ballroom, Latin American, Line Dancing, Ballet, Tap, National, American Street Locking and Hip Hop.

As well as teaching Gemma has engaged in many professional contracts including, Top Of The Pops, The 007 Review, A Chorus Line to name but a few.

Gemma is very excited about her new post at Makin’ Steps and looks forward to bringing her experience to the schools ballet department.

Qualification: (LGSM) Licentiate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Classes Taught: Acting, Singing.

Liz started dancing at the age of two and a half at The Zena Letchworth School of Dance, London. At the age of five she joined Bodens School of Performing Arts based in Winchmore Hill where as well as learning Tap, Ballet and Modern she also studied and took exams in Speech, Drama and Singing. Liz was lucky enough to be taught by Speech and Voice Specialist Barbara Houseman. Barbara went on to teach at the RSC working with top actors and directors as well as write several books on the subject. Everything that Barbara taught her, Liz passes on to her students!

 

While at Bodens, Liz gained heaps of experience attending West End, television and film auditions including Gretl in the first run of The Sound of Music! She also appeared in numerous West End and London fringe theatres including the premier of A Tale of Two Cities – the musical as well singing on the original soundtrack of the musical. At sixteen Liz continued to study Performing Arts at East Herts Regional College where she took A levels in English, Art, Theatre Design and Theatre Studies as well as receiving a diploma in performing arts and grade 8 singing. She also met, performed and trained with Nick Wilson (now known as Spellman) in close-up magic and illusions and the two performed at local parties and clubs. After college Liz decided to gain more experience in the working world. Due to passing her grade 8 singing exam she was able to teach and began to deliver private lessons in Speech, Voice, Drama and Singing. Amongst clients she taught were those looking to improve their articulation including a famous footballer’s wife!

 

In 1999 Makin’ Steps School of Performing Arts, Harlow approached Liz and asked her to teach Speech and Drama for them. This she did and went on to do Teacher’s training in the ISTD syllabus for Tap (her favourite style of dance) with Ross Simpson. Liz continued teaching Speech, Drama and Tap at Makin’ Steps as well as covering the odd Singing lesson until 2002 when she fell pregnant with her fourth child and unfortunately had to stop due to health and child minding difficulties. Unable to teach for Makin’ Steps, Liz decided to set up her own classes in Hoddesdon near to child minding (Mum!). She taught all aspects of performing arts and accompanied many down to the West End for successful auditions.

 

In 2007, Sawbridgeworth charity, Youth CREATE head hunted Liz to be a Workshop Leader for them. The charity uses performing and creative arts to build self esteem, confidence and social skills in children and young adults. Now Director for the charity, Liz has continued to train to work with

children and young adults of all abilities and social status specialising in those on the autistic spectrum and over the past few years has written, directed and produced all inclusive successful shows for them.

 

Liz has also trained in the Sing Up programme as well with Leading Specialists in many different performing and creative art skills from film, animation, art and craft to stage and set design to name but a few!