Meet Our Highly Qualified Team

Dawn Denman

Principal Of The School

From a young age Dawn danced at Julie Beech School of Dance and then left home to board at 13 years old at The Legat School of Russian Ballet before going to the Northern Ballet School at the age of 17. Dawn then went on to become a teacher under the Royal Academy of Dance & Imperial Society for Teachers Of Dance. She has an excellent reputation within the top dance and performing arts colleges. In 1981 Dawn launched Staples Dance Academy, which aims to train students to have excellent technique and performance. She prides herself in helping all her students achieve high grades of distinction and merit in all examinations, from pre-primary to major grades at advanced level two. 

Dawn’s passion for dance and performing arts is a way of life and her two sons Mike and Adam have followed her footsteps into the world of dance, where they have both achieved successful careers on the West End stage in musicals, dance, and films.

Stacey Hesson 

Qualified Dance Teacher

Stacey started dancing at Staples Dance Academy when she was 11 years old, before leaving at 16 with a full scholarship to Performers Dance College where she received her level 6 national diploma in dance and foundation dance instructor training. Straight after college she joined Carnival Cruise Lines for 7 years performing in the evening shows and magic shows to which she was dance captain. Before leaving performing to start teaching and have a family she enjoyed doing a contract in Jamaica WI at The Grande Palladium Resort where she got to help with choreography, putting together new shows and working alongside other professionals from different nationalities specialising in Latin styles. 

Stacey has compleated her teaching qualification with the ISTD. 

Molly Staples 

Private lessons & Exam work 

Molly trained with us from the age of 2. At the age of 12 she moved on to Tring Park school for the performing arts where she studied Musical Theater. She compleated her major exams in RAD and ISTD with distinctions. Molly then moved on to The Hammond School graduating with a Level 6 Diploma in proffessional Dance (2016)

Molly has worked for several cruise companies around the world for the past five years, she has also compleated contracts dancing alongside the Circus. 

Grace Glover

Grade Tap Teacher 

Grace has danced with SDA since a young age. She compleated her advanced exams in ISTD modern and tap and RAD ballet. She then moved on to The Hammond School Graduating in 2020. Since then Grace has performed in shows in Greece. She is currently taking the ISTD teacher training course. 

Lyndsay Bentley

Advanced Tap and Modern Teacher

Lyndsay has danced at Staples Dance Academy from being 2 years old and has attained advanced levels of Ballet, Modern, and Tap. She then went to further her passion at The Northern Ballet School where she graduated with her National Diploma in Professional Dance.  

Adam Denman

Dawns youngest son started dancing from an early age at Staples then went on to train at Northern Ballet School. He has performed in Swan Lake, Manchester City Ballet, Coppelia, Celebration of Youth at Buckingham Palace for the Queen, Snowman at the Peacock Theater London. Disco Inferno UK tour, Royal Caribbean 'Navigator of the Seas', The King & I UK Tour, Singing in the Rain at the Palace Theater London and UK tour, Mack & Mabel UK tour, Chicago UK tour, 42nd street West end and Guys and dolls in Paris  Adam has also toured with Michael Ball on his UK tour.

Peter Parker

Peter teaches once a month at Staples Dance Academy. Peter is co-director of Midlands associates, he is a trustee and teacher of the Louise Brown Yorkshire Ballet Scholars, an international freelance teacher, principal dancer at Ballet du Rhin and Northern Ballet. One half of bitter harvest who have been finalists in Sky1's 'Got to Dance' and many other TV appearances.

Shannon Parker

Principal dancer in San Francisco Ballet Princess Aurora. Ballet du Rhin, Juliet, Odette and Odile in Swan Lake, Giselle, Northern Ballet Theatre, now an international teacher at many centres including Northern Ballet School, Yorkshire Ballet Scholars, co-founder of Midland Associates, part of the duet Bitter Harvest, finalists in Sky1's 'Got to Dance'.

Mike Denman

Dawns oldest son, Mike has a long list of musical theatre and TV and theatre performances. He has performed in Saturday Night Fever, Contact, Modern Millie, Kiss Me Kate, Chicago in the West End, Never Forget, Wizard of Oz, Matilda, and Bodyguard the musical UK tour. Mike now runs his very own associate program 'Denman Theatre'.