Meet the DDA Teachers

Ciara grew up in Knockbridge, Ireland and danced before she learned how to walk. At the age of four, she was enrolled in a stage school where she took dance, drama and singing lessons. She began her ballet training at the age of eight and instantly fell in love. At this stage, she performed in competitions. When she was eleven she decided to attend Coastal Ballet School in Drogheda tofurther her training. Here she took graded and vocational examinations under the RAD syllabi and also partook in modern exams (graded and vocational) under the ISTD syllabi. In 2015 Ciara joined Dublin Youth Dance Company (a youth contemporary company) and with the company has performed in the Irish Youth Dance Festival (2016, 2017), Dublin Dance Festival (2017) and at Castle Malatesta in Rimini, Italy (2017). She has been awarded distinctions in all of her speech and drama exams under the Royal Irish Academy of Music and the Leinster School of Music and Drama. She has also gained distinctions in her singing exams (Royal Irish Academy of Music). In 2020 she graduated from the Royal Academy of Dance with a Degree in Ballet Education and the Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Dance. She became a qualified Pilates and Progressing Ballet Technique instructor in 2021 and is currently undergoing her yoga teacher training. She has experience in teaching students of all ages in the genres of ballet, modern, tap, and contemporary. Ballet was always part of her life and she never stopped loving it (and regretting having stopped dancing). After finishing her Degree and Master in Clinical Psychology (Master thesis: Eating Disorders) and specialization in Children with Disabilities and Special Needs, she decided to join Psychology and Dance and invested in new courses and specializations (Dance and movement Therapy and Art Therapy) - this gave her even more strength to go back to dance. Currently taking a specialization in Psychology of Dance. She taught Creative Dance, for children from 3 years old, Sensorial movement for children with ADHD/ADD and Autism and baby dance classes and currently work at Dakoda’s Dance Academy & knightsbridge Ballet. Marta is excited to be working at The Notting Hill Nursery. Michelle moved to London at the age of 16 to attend Central School of Ballet, graduating with a Foundation Degree in Professional Dance. She soon realised her passion was teaching and completed the Bachelor of the Arts Degree in ‘Ballet Education’ with Honours. She has achieved the Licentiate qualification and Advanced 2 vocational ballet examination, going on to teach in Canada for two years winning awards at top North American dance competitions and also staging theatre shows. Since moving back to the UK Michelle and has been teaching, entering students for exams and competitions, running summer schools and staging shows in both England and Wales. She danced professionally and worldwide in TV, Music Videos, Commercials, Cabarets, Musical Theatre Shows, Jazz Festivals and others, for companies including Louis Vuitton, Diesel, Miss Universe, Tokyo Disneyland, Tiffany’s, Gas, 20th Century Fox, K-Swiss, Mini-Cooper, Adidas, Astra and Casio. She holds teaching qualifications with the Royal Academy of Dance (Distinction) – The British Ballet Organization (Distinction) and The International Dance Teachers Association Tap and Modern Associates (Honours). She began preparing and entering students for RAD exams in 1996 and holds a 100% pass rate. In 2000, she was delighted to be offered a position in Tokyo under the Royal Ballet graduate Miss Ana Keates. Then in 2002, she became principal teacher for The International Dance Academy. During this time she choreographed and directed many theatre and ballet productions for children and professional artists, as well as being a guest teacher and choreographer at many International Summer and Easter dance seminars. Dakoda has now taught dance for over 24 years at over 30 schools and academy’s to children, adults and professionals. In 2007 she put all her energy, passion and love of dance into one place & opened the DDA. The Director Dakoda Matthews-Forth RAD RTS BBO TD IDTA T IDTA MRAD