Meet the Team
Clare Maloney AISTD CDE
Principal/Teacher
Clare didn't have the traditional entry into a career in dance: she was 17 before she attended her first dance class! But from that first class Clare fell in love with dance and knew that she wanted to make it her career. She started with tap, but was soon studying ballet and jazz. As her training got more serious, she attended both the Italia Conti Associate School and Stella Mann Associate School before embarking on full time performing arts training at Collective Dance and Drama. Whilst at Collective Clare gained a huge amount of performing experience as well as studying for both her dance and drama exams. Before she left she was qualified to ISTD Advanced 2 standard in her dance exams, she had passed her Acting and Verse & Prose medal exams and had passed her ISTD Associate Teacher qualification. No mean feat having only taken her first dance class aged 17!
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When she left Collective, Clare spent some time performing as well as choreographing for a number of different productions including the HotBox production of ‘I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change at the Canal Café Theatre, London and the Beck Theatre’s production of ‘Anything Goes’.
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From her first taste of teaching at Collective, Clare always knew that being a Dance Teacher was for her. Over the years she has taught in a number of dance and performing arts schools, as well as nurseries and in Primary and Secondary schools. Clare's particular love of teaching toddlers led her to start Little Bear Feet in Bucks - parent and toddler dance classes for children from 18 months. Then, in 2014, came the creation of Dance Dynamic.
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Clare has always loved learning and places great value on the importance of her Continuing Professional Development. Since leaving college, she has gone on to gain her FDI and CDE qualifications in Tap and Modern, her DDI and DDE qualifications in Classical Ballet. She is undertaking a six part series of trainings through the Royal Ballet School, as well as attending courses on Flexibility, Inclusive Dance Practice and keeping up to date on the ISTD syllabus work.
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Clare has an Enhanced DBS check, is fully insured, First Aid trained and has attended courses on Child Protection.
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Clare is passionate about dance and feels incredibly lucky to be able to share that passion with her students.
Francesca Gurner
Administrative Support
Francesca assists with the administrative side of Dance Dynamic. She has lived in Beaconsfield with her husband and family for over 20 years.
Francesca has attended classes with Clare for 12 years and has been with Dance Dynamic since its beginning in 2014. Like most people, Francesca always danced informally: from Scottish Country Dancing at school, through to 'flick, ball change-ing' her way through the late '70s (courtesy of John Travolta and the Bee Gees), to weddings and dancing at home in the kitchen. She has always enjoyed it, but didn't start formal lessons until later in life.
Francesca now takes classes in ballet and tap. In Francesca's own words, this is why she loves to dance: As a child, I always wanted to have dance lessons but never got the chance, so it's been great to have the opportunity as an adult. Then there's the social side: I dance with a lovely group of ladies; we laugh a lot and have a lot of fun! It's also great exercise, both mentally and physically; it helps you to develop perseverance and determination; it can be frustrating and challenging at times, but it can also be very satisfying when you finally nail that step that's been eluding you for so long. Preparing for a Show can be quite nerve-racking but also exciting, with a great sense of camaraderie (and relief when it's over!) I probably can't imagine not dancing now and I know that if I had to stop, I would miss it very much, so I hope that I am able to continue for quite a few years yet.