Tutor: Judy King
Judy knew from an early age that teaching was going to be her vocation. She followed the orthodox route, training to be a Physical Education teacher and qualifying with a B. Ed(Hons) in 1980. By chance she was introduced to Circle Dancing in 1982 and from that moment on her life began to change. In 1984 she resigned her teaching post and within the following year was teaching Circle Dance mainly in special schools. One circle led to another and she has now been teaching Circle Dance full time since 1986.
She is known for her ability to take those who dance with her ‘beyond the steps’, to discover a deeper understanding of the movement within the dance – of finding a new relationship with their body. She says, “I believe that my real teaching an begin once everyone has learnt the steps”. Her teaching style is to work with awareness and precision yet with a lightness of touch that comes through her sense of and use of humour.
She teaches courses – many and various – in England and across Europe and organises dancing and cultural holidays abroad. She also leads a biannual Teacher Training Course for people who want to go deeper into the art that is Circle Dancing and to learn some of the tools to help make them better teachers.
Amidst my busy teaching schedule I have also attended courses to continue my own development in the dance. I have studied with many well respected teachers from abroad: Gabriele Wosien, Friedel Kloke-Eibl, Hennie Konings, Vincent Parodi, Yves Moreau, Nanni Kloke and Shakeh Major Tchilingirian.