Our people

Vanessa trained at the Royal Ballet School and danced as a Principal with the Royal Ballet and Northern Ballet Companies and was a dancer, singer and actress in several musicals in London whilst teaching at Pineapple Dance Centre. She has choreographed and directed for the stage and television in London and Europe including Starlight Express with Arlene Phillips. After completing her IDTA Fellowship examinations she returned to teaching alongside her mother Vera Skelton and became an examiner for the IDTA. She has been on the Ballet Faculty for over twenty years and is currently chairman.

Through passion and knowledge Vanessa has trained dancers in the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, The Mariinsky Ballet & Matthew Bourne’s Company. Her pupils are performing in West End and touring musical productions and cruise ships and companies around the world. She has coached dancers for the Prix de Lausanne and has had winners at Adeline Genée, Molly Lake and Young Dancer of the Year. In 2016 Vanessa was awarded the Carl Alan Teachers’ Award.

“Dancing teaches special skills, makes extraordinary people and enhances life. It is my ambition to promote this and the reason I am standing for the IDTA Board of Directors.”

Jo started dancing age 4, showing great aptitude for dance and progressing successfully through all her grades. During this period she also competed in high level competitions, achieving the status of British Ballet Champion in 1976. Jo went on to perform professionally in both theatre and television.

Starting her own very successful dance school 32 years ago, she decided that her ultimate goal was to become an IDTA examiner and adjudicator.
After professional coaching she was successful in becoming a Fellow in all 4 Theatre Genres and Freestyle, adding Street, Cheer, Dance exercise and Gymnastic Diplomas to her portfolio as well.

In 2002 Jo became an IDTA examiner, a role she has cherished for the last 15 years. She now examines at professional level and has had the opportunity to promote IDTA within the UK and also across the world. Over the last year she was honored to attend Australia, New Zealand and China promoting the IDTA.

Having been educated and mentored by the best, she believes she has a broad understanding of how young professionals feel pushing themselves to succeed in our industry. The development of IDTA Ballroom and Theatre worldwide is now one of Jo's keen interests.

Looking to the future and always listening to the members, she believes she has ideas, background and capability to provide security for the members professional and business careers in the years to come. Jo feels she is now in the position to dedicate herself to IDTA and its members worldwide.

Bryan Thomson began dancing at the age of ten and took his first professional examination at 17. He has been a member for 42 years. At aged 26, with his wife Brenda, he opened Lee Green Dance Centre which grew quite quickly. Making full use of the medal test system brought success to his pupils in the school at Area and national level in all sections of the ballroom branch. He has compered all the IDTA Nationwide events for many years along with serving the North East as Area chairman on more than one occasion a position he has held with great pride. It has also been his pleasure to lecture at Congress on more than one occasion. As a ballroom branch examiner he always enjoys his visits to other schools and to see their progress. He continues to study to further his knowledge in all aspects of dance and still has a desire to promote dance at all levels.