Our Teachers
Dublin born Judith Sibley is one of Ireland’s most prestigious ballet artists. She studied at the acclaimed Elmhurst Ballet School and the Ballet Rambert School, London. She has performed with Vienna Festival Ballet, Rubato Ballet, New Balance Dance Company, Ballet Ireland, Spirit of the Dance, Phantom of the Opera in both Belgium and Germany, Cork City Ballet, Irish National Youth Ballet, Youth Ballet West, The Great Waltz, and Coisceim ( for the Ryder Cup). Judith has toured internationally, performing principal and soloist roles in all the major classical ballets including Swan Lake, Giselle, La Bayadere, Cinderella, Coppelia, and The Nutcracker.
She has choreographed for Cork City Ballet, Baboro Festival, Macnas, Cuirt Festival, and Catastrophe Theatre Company. Her work has been invited to The Galway Arts Festival, The Dublin Dance Festival, Dublin Absolute Fringe Festival, Flights of Fancy Festival, Feile na Bealtaine, and Louisburgh Arts Festival.
Having gained the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) Professional Dancers Teaching Diploma with Distinction, Judith teaches at Shannon and Corrib Dance Academies. She has tutored internationally for the RAD, and has taught ballet as far afield as Singapore and Italy. She spent six years as Chairperson of the RAD’s Regional Advisory Committee in Ireland and is currently a Director of Irish Ballet Forum.
Judith is Artistic Director of Chrysalis Dance, Ireland’s only neo-classical dance company, and has choreographed Strings, Wishes and Waves, Love and Other Disguises, Soul/S, Ways You Wander, Connect For and Thought Once Was, for the company. She is also Artistic Director and lead choreographer of Youth Ballet West.
Clare Farrell – RAD RTS
Clare danced for a number of years with the Corrib Dance Academy where she completed exams in RAD Ballet and ISTD Modern attaining Vocational Advanced 1 Certification in both styles. She was a member of Youth Ballet West for three years where she gained experience in performance.
Clare attended Inchicore College of Further Education where she completed the Dance Studies course gaining knowledge of many types of dance and choreography. She completed the CBTS programme in 2021 and is a fully registered and qualified RAD ballet teacher.
She is a committee member of the Irish Ballet Teachers Association.
Clare is currently enrolled in the Inspire Professional Dance Teacher Training Course where she will complete her ISTD DDE in Modern Dance.
Sheelagh Hayes: School Administrator and Teaching Assistant
Born in the UK, Sheelagh commenced her dance training in London. Having moved to Dublin at the age of 7 she continued her dance studies at the Harcourt School of Ballet and the Abbey School of Ballet (started by Dame Ninette de Valois) and successfully gained all the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) grade examinations.
Sheelagh danced and choreographed for many musical societies and clubs in Dublin where she also taught teenage jazz and ladies keep fit classes for many years. She moved to Galway in 2001.
Sheeelagh is administrator for Shannon Dance Academy, and teaching assistant when required. She is the costume co-ordinator for the school, a role she fulfills for Galway’s Corrib Dance Academy also. In addition she works as administrator and costume co-ordinator for Youth Ballet West, Chrysalis Dance and Catastrophe Theatre Company.
