About Us

Dragonfly Dance and Performing Arts welcomes you on a journey that we hope will be a long and enjoyable one. We believe that every student deserves nurture and encouragement to achieve their full potential. It is our aim to provide the highest possible quality of teaching across all disciplines. We take a great deal of interest in every student's personal development thus providing a caring and happy atmosphere in which students can flourish.

Teachers are qualified and registered with recognised governing bodies, attend regular CPD (including safeguarding), are DBS checked and first aid qualified.

We would love nothing more than to welcome you into our Dragonfly family. Please read on to learn more about us and meet the team.

The meaning behind Dragonfly

Dragonflies symbolise joy, happiness, adaptability and an invitation to explore emotions. Dance also encourages these ideas especially exploring emotions and portraying those emotions through movement. Dragonflies and dancers are both powerful yet graceful, moving with confidence and ease. Dragonflies are thought to motivate us to let go of whatever holds us back. Similarly dance is a safe space to express ourselves without fear, building confidence to enable us to reach our full potential.

“The teachers are all supportive and friendly, and the classes are always fun”

“The staff [are] hard working, talented, experienced and committed”

“Amazing, upbeat, motivational teachers”

“The teachers are wonderful, they are friendly and helpful and make classes fun”

Meet the Team

Miss Liz, Miss Aby and Miss Stacey

Miss Stacey

Artistic Director and Teacher

Miss Stacey danced locally in Staffordshire and along side her dance training was a competitive gymnast, competing at a National level including the English and British Championships. Miss Stacey also spent a year training as a Junior Associate with the Royal Ballet School. Aged 18 she gained a DADA Award to attend Bird College where she studied for 3 years and graduated with a BA (Hons) Dance and Theatre Performance.

Upon graduating Miss Stacey worked professionally for a number of years. Credits include:

Totally Frank – TV show for Channel 4 – Dancer
Quantum Theatre Company – Tour - Actor and singer
Warner Leisure Hotels – Dance captain/Choreographer
Upstairs at the Gatehouse, London - Tickledom
Cymni Mega – Pantomime tour - Dancer

In 2008 Miss Stacey moved back to Staffordshire to follow her dream of becoming a dance teacher, joining Dragonfly in the same year. Miss Stacey is a fully qualified and registered teacher of the ISTD in tap, ballet, modern and jazz. Miss Stacey holds Registered Teacher Status with the RAD having completed her Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies in 2012.

In 2019 Miss Stacey furthered her training in tap dance and completed her Licentiate exam with the ISTD and most recently in 2023, gained her Silver Swans Licence with the RAD which focuses on ballet for over 55s.

Miss Stacey is also a Level 4 Coach with British Gymnastics and divides her time between Uttoxeter Gymnastics Club and Dragonfly.

Fun facts - Miss Stacey is a featured gymnast in 'The Fantastic Foldout Book of Gymnastics' and also enjoys going to the theatre and writing lists!!!

Miss Liz

Artistic Director and Teacher

Miss Liz's journey with Dragonfly started at the age of 7 attending as a pupil at the dance school and after a full and successful professional career, returning as a teacher and most recently achieving her life long dream of co-owning the dance school that she has been a huge part of her life for the last 3o years.

After obtaining a diploma in Dance Musical Theatre from Merseyside Dance and Drama Centre, Miss Liz went on to have a varied and successful dance career spanning over 10 years which included:

multiple pantomimes
professional corporate appearances
UK touring shows for Haven
Residential Dancer at Center Parcs for Explosive Productions
Dance Captain on Fred Olsen's cruise liner, The Braemar

Miss Liz hung up her performing shoes to concentrate on her passion for teaching and in addition to her ISTD teaching qualification she went on to train in Zumba, Fit steps, Fitness Pilates and most recently Acro Dance with Acrobatic Arts.

Back in 2019 Miss Liz furthered her teaching with the ISTD
and completed her Licenciate Tap.

Her ethos is to give students the skills they require to grow within their lessons to allow them to achieve their goals and reach their full potential.

Fun facts; When not teaching, Miss Liz can be found spending time with her young family, enjoying the great outdoors, perfecting her cake decorating or sipping a glass of bubbles with her friends.

Miss Aby

Artistic Director and Teacher

Aby Kate started dancing from the age of 7 locally, and then at 18 trained & studied for 3 years at (Brian Rogers) Performers College in Essex, graduating in Professional Dance and Musical Theatre through Trinity College London.

Whilst at College, Aby also gained her teaching qualifications and is a fully qualified and registered ISTD Teacher in Modern, Tap & Ballet.

Aby performed for over 10 years and has many professional credits including Theatre, TV & a cruise contract;

A few highlights;

Audience with Kylie Minogue (ITV) - Dancer for Kylie Minogue
Paddy McGuinness Live Tour ‘The Dark Side of the Force’ - Dancer
Featured dancer on Casanova – BBC drama & DVD (starring David Tennant, Rupert Penry-Jones & Matt Lucas).
Danced several seasons at the renowned ‘Thursford Christmas Spectacular’ including an evening dedicated to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge William and Kate
Featured Dancer in various touring shows, one off productions & pantomimes, around many UK theatres including; Her Majesty’s and Piccadilly Theatre, London, Winter Gardens & The Grand Theatre, Blackpool, more locally The Regent, Stoke on Trent, Birmingham Hippodrome, The Grand Wolverhampton, … and shared the stage with many famous celebrities & theatre legends.
‘End of the Pier’ variety production in Cromer, Norfolk. Dancer and Dance Captain in many Summer and Winter seasons
Co-produced and Choreographed, individual shows ‘Summer Special’s’ at The Pavilion Theatre in Cromer and Felixstowe Spa Pavilion.
Performed at the world-famous Palm Beach Hotel, Cannes in France, Grosvenor and Dorchester Hotels in London, as well as travelled and performed in Sweden in ‘Circo Massimo’
Travelling and Dancing aboard the Mediterranea Costa Crociere Cruise Ship

Although Aby has technically hung up her performing shoes, Aby still gets opportunities to perform. The start of this year she got to present at Blackpool Tower Ballroom alongside Ian Waite, (Strictly Come Dancing) dancing and presenting to over 300 people.

Aby has been teaching dance in dance schools and colleges since 2002. Aby joined Dragonfly back in 2007 in-between professional contracts, and then 2011 till the present. Aby divides her time between teaching dance, exam coaching, and choreographing for local productions & events, and teaching adult fitness classes; Aby is also a Qualified British Wheel of Yoga and Pilates Teacher and Fitsteps (Ballroom & Latin) and Zumba Instructor.

Fun Facts – Aby loves to travel, gardening and has 3 cats; a British shorthair called Chynna & two Persian Chinchilla’s Selby & Marco.

Miss Maisie

Student Teacher

Bio coming soon