About Us

Saturday 4th December 2004 - the launching of the Theatre Dance Association - and we knew we were just one step away from a new beginning – a new beginning for dance, for what it has to offer, for how it is taught and presented and for where it takes dance teachers and their pupils in this new millennium.

We received an overwhelming response to this new and innovative association which began as an adventure and as with all adventures, we had no idea where it would lead us! But we were hopeful! We connected with a sense of resilience and bravery; we drew a deep breath, focused ourselves and knew that just the energy in our attempt was strong enough to sustain us.

And so began the most important journey of our lives – the biggest adventure that we would ever undertake, for the biggest adventure anyone can ever undertake is to live the life of their dreams. We were doing just that! The Theatre Dance Association took its first breath and we got on with doing what we knew we should be doing – building a new and respectful association that focuses on creating opportunities for dance teachers, dancers and dance as a whole, and in doing so, it has led us to become the fullest human beings that we can possibly be! We have worked around the clock to create an association worthy of its members, and strangely enough, the more chaotic and stressful things were on the outside, the calmer we became on the inside!

Welcome to the TDA!

Diane Fincham

Founder Member

Giovanna Fisher

Nigel Lucas

Denise Morrison

Founder Member

Wiaan Laing

Fiona Barnes

Founded in 2004, The Theatre Dance Association is an association of inspiring, go ahead teachers who want a new and different challenge, irrespective of what dance discipline they teach or to what other associations they may belong. TDA teachers have a common goal - to share, encourage and challenge their own abilities in an already challenged industry.

The Theatre Dance Association is more than a teachers association though, it is also a syllabus organisation.

Besides offering an exciting and stimulating syllabus in modern, tap, hip-hop and ballet, including performance medals in all those genres, making friends in the business and growing one’s self and one’s studio is inclusive of what The Theatre Dance Association strives to achieve.

becoming a member of the theatre dance association is the start of a most sincere and exciting journey with us into a new experience of dance and its future!

About Us

Events

Syllabi

Much more than a Teachers Association!

Exclusive TDA Syllabi

Available to qualified teachers and TDA members only

The TDA offer an exciting, innovative and stimulating MODERN, HIP-HOP, BALLET, ACROBATIC DANCE,

TAP and SOLO LATIN syllabus

Including:

A Creative Movement pre-school syllabus for 3 – 6 year olds in (delete - after 6 and years)

BALLET and MODERN

with a TAP and HIP-HOP pre-grade syllabus for 5 - 7 year olds.

Plus

Performance medals

Eight different genres from which to choose

Musical Theatre

Hip Hop - 6 options

Ballet - 2 options

Theatre Dance

Acrobatic Dance

Solo Latin

Modern

Tap

…and to motivate and enable teachers to train dancers better, stronger, deeper, harder, the TDA offers to TDA members ONLY…..

THE TDA EXCLUSIVE “PAT GUSH BODY CONDITIONING PROGRAMMES”©

There are 5 separate syllabi, each containing a full "library" of exercises, graduated incrementally in their degree of technical difficulty and also, loosely in age groupings (taking into account the physiological constraints in the young bodies) - working from approximately 5 year old students to Advanced/Senior/ Adult standard, designed specifically to:

strengthen and loosen the entire body: upper back; lower back, shoulders, turn out, feet, legs, groin, hips etc.
improve elevation, leg height, turn out, core strength, backbends etc.

TDA Associate Teacher Training Branch

This auxiliary branch of the TDA was set up in 2015 specifically to train Associates – Modern, Ballet, Hip-Hop, Tap, Acrobatic Dance and Solo Latin - and to assist them to qualify at their highest possible level. Headed by Diane Fincham, Denise Morrison and Fiona Barnes with Fiona Barnes as the Associate Coordinator - the Associate Branch is dedicated to producing effective, competent and current new teachers, ensuring that each Associate’s journey to qualifying is smooth, efficient, effective and successful!

The qualification is an “outcome based” training programme that bases each part of the qualification around goals (outcomes). By the end of the training period, each Associate should have achieved the actual goal….

competent to teach.

As the coordinator, Fiona is fully committed to each and every associate. They have a 24 hour "hot line" to her and together, Di and Fiona are obsessed with producing teachers of excellence. To assist our Associates to qualify at their highest possible level, we have compiled an ASSOCIATE KIT covering everything that associates must know about the qualifying process.

We are a "hands-on" Association committed to training teachers of excellence. Associates may train under a teacher or via correspondence with the appropriate TDA Consultant and Board Member. If you would like a career as a dance teacher please contact the TDA Office.

Theatre Dance Association…….paving the way

What we Offer:

Members receive incentives, perks and givebacks with reduced prices to local, external and International events including free advertising within the network for TDA members' events and business and social networking opportunities.

Annual: