Louise Bennett Appointed Artistic Director of London Vocational Ballet School

London Vocational Ballet School is delighted to announce the appointment of Louise Bennett as its new Artistic Director.

Louise trained at The Royal Ballet School and is currently the Artistic Director of National Youth Ballet’s Performance Company. Louise has previously danced with English National Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet and the Norwegian National Ballet. Louise has worked across the sector with leading dance companies around the world including holding the post of Ballet Master at Ballett am Rhein in Düsseldorf. 

On her appointment, Louise had this to say: "I am delighted to be joining LVBS as Artistic Director. Through my previous freelance work with the school, I have experienced its inspiring culture of pushing forward into the future while retaining the knowledge of and respect for classical ballet, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to this further as part of the organisation. With its dedicated team and passionate and creative students, the school is an incredibly exciting place to be, and I can't wait to get started!”

Director of Business Operations Gavin McCaig adds: "We are immensely excited to be welcoming Louise to LVBS. She has shown complete passion and vision for not just where our school can go but also how we go there. The values she champions alongside the extensive experience she brings from national and international dance companies; colleges; schools and youth dance organisations align perfectly with our ambition to continuing our delivery of a broad and future-facing vocational training wrapped around academic excellence."

Notes for the Editors London Vocational Ballet School is a vocational, indepdent co-educational day school based in London. Our mission is clear: to prepare aspiring dancers for the rigours of upper school ballet training, all while fostering their intellectual growth. Small class sizes lie at the heart of our approach, ensuring that every student receives personalised attention and tailored guidance.

From Year 6 to Year 11, we offer a educational journey that focuses on the renowned British classical technique. For our younger aspiring dancers, our associate programme provides a stepping stone towards future excellence. Louise Bennett: Biography Louise trained at The Royal Ballet School and danced with The Royal Swedish Ballet, Norwegian National Ballet and English National Ballet. After ending her performing career in 2016, she worked as a freelance ballet teacher, artistic director, rehearsal director, creative producer and choreographer based in London.

From 2020-2022, upon Demis Volpi's invitation, she worked as a Ballet Master at Ballett am Rhein in Düsseldorf, Germany, working on creations and repertoire by choreographers including Demis Volpi, Sharon Eyal, Aszure Barton, José Limòn and Andrey Kaydanovskiy.  She then returned to London to take up the post of Artistic Director of National Youth Ballet’s Performance Company, working with a large creative team and 100 young dancers each year to produce a mixed bill of new creations and NYB revivals, performed at Elmhurst Ballet School, The Crescent Theatre, and Sadler’s Wells. Louise has taught ballet for companies including The Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Ballett Zürich, Ballett am Rhein, Company Wayne McGregor, Ballet de l'Opéra du Rhin, Ballet Black, Rambert and Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, for students at Rambert School, London Vocational Ballet School, Laban, Zürich University of the Arts, and Balettakademien Stockholm, and as a ballet coach for early-career professionals at the Biennale College Danza in Venice.

She recently produced the project ‘Performing Hope: Nature in the City’, in collaboration with Climate Basecamp and Central School of Ballet, and has worked as a personal coach for Francesca Hayward during several film shoots.

As a choreographer, Louise has created pieces for National Youth Ballet, The Royal Ballet School, Ballet Central, Encore Dance Company, Tivoli Ballet and Outside Edge Theatre Company, as well as winning the Kenneth MacMillan and Ninette de Valois choreographic awards while studying at The Royal Ballet School.

Louise recently worked with London Vocational Ballet School to revive her National Youth Ballet work 'A Frosty Fable' for the summer performances at the Lilian Baylis Theatre, and National Youth Ballet will revive her work 'Ada' for their 2024 performance season. Louise joins the faculty of LVBS in August 2024. www.londonvocationalballetschool.com