ABOUT KIRKHAM HENRY PERFORMING ARTS
Our Team
Angela Kirkham Principal
M.I.D.T.A R.A.D R.T.S LIFE MEMBER OF ROYAL ACADEMY OF DANCE and INTERNATIONAL DANCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
Together with Jennie Henry, Angela opened Kirkham Henry Performing Arts in 1989. The rest is history!
She began her training at the age of 3 in Middlesbrough and by the age of 12 had won the English Junior Ballet Championship and successfully passed her Royal Academy of Dance Intermediate examination – being the youngest in the country to do so at the time. In 2020 Angela celebrated the amazing achievement of 50 years teaching dance within community.
The Kirkham School of Dancing opened in March 1971 at St. Joseph’s Church Hall, Pickering. Angela opened the Kirkham Henry Performing Arts Centre together with Jennie Henry in 1989 .
Angela has worked over the years as an adjudicator for Dance Festivals/ Choreographer on touring shows, including volunteering her time as founder of Kirkham Henry Youth Ballet. Angela is extremely proud to have her youngest daughter, Samantha Raine, Senior Repetiteur to the Royal Ballet Company, as patron .
Angela, together with Jennie Henry founded Ryedale Youth Theatre and was Artistic Director for 26 years.
Over the years she has coached ballet children for examinations and auditions throughout the country and coaching male dancers for the Billy Elliot school.
Angela is a life member of The Royal Academy of Dance and the International Dance Teachers Association, and former Chair of Yorkshire Ballet Scholarship Centre, now known as York Dance Scholars. Winner of Pride of Malton and Norton -Local hero and outstanding achievement. Awarded a certificate for special recognition for contibution to the town of Malton by the Mayor of Malton and Town councillors 2011.
Awarded the Honour of The Melvin Jones Fellowship by Malton, Norton and District Lions club 2016
Angela is also head of our Community Dance, for all our adult classes.
Over the 50 years that Angela has been teaching she has trained thousands of students to professional level, many of whom are now performing in musical theatre productions in the West End and on tour, on Cruise Ships and in The Royal Ballet Company and ballet companies across the world. Others have chosen to become professional musicians, theatre technicians, stage managers, teachers of dance, music and musical theatre etc. or to study for alternative careers at Universities and colleges throughout the UK with the help of the transferrable skills taught at Kirkham Henry.
Michaela Kemp- Deputy Principal
Foundation: Ballet/Tap/Theatre craft
AIDTA
Michaela started dancing at the age of 5 with Miss Angela and worked through all her exams passing with high marks consistantly, until leaving school and studying for her Associate IDTA Teaching exam and passing with great results. Read more....
Michaela has since studied and gained further qualifications in the area of SEND , (special Educational needs and disabilitiy) and after numerous courses is now a qualified practitioner of the Dance for Parkinson's programme.
Miss "Kyla" has also had more than 6 years professional Gymnastics training and was part of the York Olympic squad for 3 years.
Michaela has been with Kirkham Henry for many years and has over 40 years of teaching experience behind her, teaching Ballet, Tap and Musical Theatre, Dancing with Parkinson's and Dementia, blind and sight support.
Joanne Dawson
(Bt, Tap & Theatre-craft)
AIDTA
Joanne started at Kirkham Henry
Performing Arts at the age of four years, taking part in many professional pantomimes and shows. She was a founder member of Ryedale Youth Theatre and performed with them for 11 years, including Crazy For You at the Edinburgh Festival.
Joanne assisted in teaching and quickly realised she would like to make a career out of it. She began teaching her own classes from age 15 then studied for her Associate IDTA Teaching Examination under Miss Angela and passed with flying colours at age 18 after which she began teaching more classes at Kirkham Henry in Malton as well as taking over the Pickering branch from Miss Kyla for a few years.
Joanne teaches Ballet, Tap and Theatre Craft from age 2 upwards to both recreational & vocational students (where some have been nominated for IDTA scholarships following their high marks)
She also covers junior jazz & musical theatre and silver swans.
She has choreographed for Malton Pantomime since 2003 and won the Fred Bower trophy in recognition of contributions to pantomime on & off stage in 2025. She has assisted Miss Angela & Miss Kyla in all of Kirkham Henry's Youth ballets.
Joanne also assists in the Dance for Parkinson's programme at both Malton & York, Dance for blind & partially sighted & our Musical Chairs seated dance class.
Joanne is a big advocate for children & adults with special educational needs & neurodiversity’s, making sure all children have a voice- she has completed all 4 levels of Makaton training and is head of our Makaton communication - Kirkham Henry is very proud to be a Makaton aware (previously known as Makaton friendly) setting.
Fran Garvey
An award winning performer and choreographer with professional credits from Cameron Macintosh, Disney, Qudos, Pathe, BBC and Christina Aguilera.
Fran began her dance training in York at Dawn Tudors school of Russian ballet. Following this she trained at Red Shoes Dance under the direction of Sandra Watson. At age 13 Fran joined Central School of Ballet associate programme and completed he professional dance training at The Rambert School and London Studio Centre where she gained a DipHE in Musical Theatre. After a professional performing career, Fran worked as both a school teacher and a dance teacher, preparing students for public examination such as GCSE and Alevel dance, ISTD exams as well as audition coaching. Many students Fran has worked with have gone on to have professional dance careers themselves or are currently in training at colleges such as Northern School of Contemporary Dance, The Royal Ballet School, London Studio Centre and Performers college. Fran also is a guest teacher at some of these schools.
Fran was the resident choreographer for the youth theatre group NYTC before the company dissolved during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Evie Jenkinson
Evie began dancing at the age of 3 and her foundations are in latin and ballroom. She won world championships whilst competing in many competitions.
At the age of 16, Evie moved to Swindon after gaining a scholarship to complete a 3 year professional course in musical theatre, gaining a distinction* on her level 3 extended diploma. She was a regular performer at ‘MOVEIT’, annually representing her college.
Upon graduating in 2017, she gained representation from Pure Entertainment and has completed UK tours as a backing dancer for different Artistes. Also, headlining ‘Party In The Park’ festivals for Pixie Lott, The Vengaboys, Scouting for Girls, Aston Merrygold and Rak-Su over the years from 2017 to present that she has worked for Pure. Not to forget her completing seasons in the attraction of Flamingo Land, performing in both the daytime and evening shows.
A winter contract that Evie has completed in 2018 was a season in Lapland, Finland. She was a children’s ranger which consisted of running and co-ordinating activities for children on their magical holidays.
Her recent contract in 2020 was as Dance Captain for a summer season in Mallorca with Emerald Entertainment. It consisted of touring the island, performing in top hotels as their evening entertainment.
To complete 2020, she was an ensemble dancer in Pure Entertainment’s ‘The Greatest Christmas Show’ based at Flamingo Land.
Evie is passionate for teaching the children at Kirkham Henry to be the most versatile performers that they can be, in order to achieve their dreams. She also teaches dance clubs at other local schools.
Ali Kirkham
Ali began her stage career as a singer with John Hanson's Student Prince, touring all the major theatres in the Uk.
At the age of 18 Ali was asked to sing for the birthday of King Kaled of Saudi Arabia, where she performed in a Gala with such stars as Dame Shirley Bassey, Elizabeth Taylor, Roger Moore and Liza Minnelli. Ali then successfully auditioned for the ‘Black and White Minstrels’ show as George Mitchells leading lady, who she stayed with for many years.
Wanting to travel the world Ali worked on board P&O ‘Canberra’ as lead head liner after it came back from the Falkland's islands war, then on to the ‘sea princess’ for a year's contract. Then Robert Luffher agent and impresario from the black and white minstrels asked Ali to appear in a summer season for the centenary of the fabulous ‘Tiller girls’ as lead vocalist and dancer, where she met Roger Green again and they became the double act ‘Deja Vu’. Ali and Roger worked the act together for years until baby Saskia came along and Ali decided to stop performing. They then started their own production company ‘Deja Vu’ & co, producing and directing shows for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. In 2001 they were lucky to sign TV musical director Chris Hocking, who had been MD for Shirley Bassey, Mat Monroe, ‘Crackerjack’ Tv series, chuckle brothers, Jimmy cricket and many more. Many years later Roger Green retired from Déjà vu & co to manage his son Charlie after his stint on ‘Britains got Talent’ and Ali and Chris became ‘A-C Productions’ going on to produce and write shows for the ‘love boat’ ship the ‘MV Discovery’. TV credits – Harry's girl in ‘Boon’ (central) ‘home to roost’, ‘Chancer’, ‘Flambards’, ‘Emmerdale’ (Yorkshire tv) Lenny Henry show, Jerry Sadowitz (BBC)
“It has been lovely to have had the connection as a teacher/ Director and Choreographer over the years with my sister Angela at Kirkham Henry performing Arts. Many ex-Kirkham Henry singers and dancers have worked for Chris and myself at A-C Productions, either straight out of Kirkham Henry, where they have had excellent training, or from the various dance/ drama colleges that they attended after leaving Kirkham Henry.”
Shirin Marshall
Shirin Marshall was born in Iran. She studied music at the Royal Academy of Music in London, with piano as her first study and obtained GRSM, LRAM and MTC certificates.
After a number of years teaching music at a secondary school in Hillingdon/Middlesex and piano as a peripatetic teacher for the Inner London Education Authority, she worked as a full time ballet pianist at the Arts Educational School in Tring/Hertfordshire, now known as Tring Park for nine years. After moving to North Yorkshire in January 1995, Shirin worked as a free lance ballet pianist for RAD and RBS, as well as at KH alongside teaching piano at Terrington Hall School until September 2020. Shirin is also a qualified Iyengar Yoga teacher.
Allison Saxton
Allison graduated from University of Wales with a BA Hons certificate in Drama and a post graduate certifcate in education university of Huddersfield.
Employment History
2016 - Present: Eaglei Training.
Providing specialist voice and body language sessions for industry. High Impact communications sessions and individual training plans as well as ‘presenting skills’ workshops for both live and recorded sessions.
2015 - Present: Presenter/Archaeologist Op Nightingale Heritage and Services Archaeology and Heritage Association (part of the Soldier On charity).
Working with injured serving armed forces personnel and veterans, presenting YouTube videos and helping on archaeological digs throughout the UK.
2014 - Present Actor/teacher StageCentre and Lynx Education.
Plays in a day with primary schools, leading workshops, directing short plays and ensuring performances are ready for end of school day.
July 2010- Present: Professional Singer.
A variety of work from solo cabaret to performing in rock bands. Styles from easy listening, musical theatre, rock, pop, to indie and light opera.
August 2006 - Present: Freelance Actor
Professional acting work for TV, film and theatre (theatrical CV available on request). Work includes roles on Coronation Street, working with Middlesbrough Theatre, Stephen Joseph Theatre Scarborough etc.
2015 - 2016: Workshop Leader Little Monkey's Music and Movement.
Leading music and movement sessions for preschoolers. Planning and delivering sessions, keeping session reports and paperwork, ensuring health and safety of participants.
March 2006 - July 2010: Working with Llyndall Trotman School of Singing.
Assisting singers in preparing for auditions and performances.
August 2004 - 2006: Course Leader BTEC National and First Diplomas in performing arts at Runshaw College, Leyland.
Taught A level Theatre Studies and Performance Studies. Wrote and developed BTEC courses (first and national diplomas) with 100% achievement and retention. Directed Summer Holiday, Little Shop of Horrors, The Crucible, TIE projects, Our Country’s Good and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (amongst others) as well as planning and delivering courses to students aged 16-19.
October 1998 - August 2004: Community Development Worker/Lecturer, Bowling Community College.
Ran GCSE Drama, NCFE Performing Arts, computers for beginners and Care Activity Organiser courses. Managed holiday play schemes for young people aged 5 – 16. Co-ordinated the college’s part in the European Leonardo Project providing sports and arts opportunities to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Assisted with delivery and planning of Junior Sports Leaders Award.
1991 – 1994 Freelance performer/actor
Worked with local drama groups and primary schools teaching drama as well as performing with Usher Street Theatre Company.
To complete 2020, she was an ensemble dancer in Pure Entertainment’s ‘The Greatest Christmas Show’ based at Flamingo Land.
Renate Sangwine
BA (Hons), LLCM (Singing), ALCM (Piano), CertRSCM, ALAM, PGCE, MISM
Having studied Dance at the University of Surrey, she also studied singing and piano privately whilst doing her degree and gained Licentiate in singing and Associate in piano performance from the London College of Music.
Renate also holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from St John’s College, York before working in Private Schools in High Wycombe and Oxshott. Renate is also a member of the Incorporated Society of Musicians. Away from teaching Renate has also been a church musician for many years with several years leading church choirs; she is currently Director of Music at Tadcaster Parish Church (St Mary’s).
Renate teaches; Piano, Singing (classical and musical theatre), Drama and Academic support for Drama and Musical Theatre.
We are thrilled and excited to welcome Renate who first moved on from KH to study at ArtsEd. Tring as it was known then. Being a former KH pupil Renate understands the inclusiveness of the school and has many years of experience in teaching children and young people.