About Us
The school was established in the summer of 1989 in Cupar’s Guide Hall. Today the school has 3 branches and offers over 100 classes per week aimed at all ages and all abilities.
In 2004, with the help of Leader+ funding, Yvonne opened the Yvonne Gray Dance Studios in Short Lane. There are two beautifully equipped dance studios, girls and boys changing, a shop which stocks all recommended dance-wear and gifts, plus a café bar area. View our studios photographs here.
The school has a small branch in St Andrews.
Staff
You can jump quickly the staff profiles and information by clicking the links below
Yvonne Gray - Principal
Yvonne was born and brought up in Cupar where she started dancing at the age of 5 with Joyce Anderson. Yvonne danced at every opportunity possible, and was lucky to be a founder member of Fife Youth Dance Company which was set up under the direction of Royston Muldoom. At the age of 14, Yvonne started attending weekend ballet classes with Gail Neish at the Theatre Shool of Dance and Drama where she later completed a 3 year full time course and was the first candidate in Scotland to complete the RAD's Student Teaching Certificate. She made several appearances in the Adam Smith pantomimes under the direction of Jimmy Logan and was also a regular guest of the Madrid/Caledonian Society's St Andrews Day celebrations in Spain. The Yvonne Gray School of Dance was established in 1989 with the studios in Short Lane opening in 2004.
Yvonne holds the RAD Teaching Diploma and the ISTD's Certificate in Dance Education and is a fully registered teaching member of both those societies and also with the IDTA. Earlier in 2008, Yvonne was honoured to be invited to join the Board of Trustees of the Royal Academy of Dance.
Alison Bell - Assistant Principal
Alison started dancing at the age of 3, and moved to Edinburgh to train professionally at the Theatre School of Dance and Drama when she was 17. It was here that she first met Yvonne and on leaving college in 1991, started to teach at the Yvonne Gray School of Dance.
Throughout her career, Alison has performed professionally in a coast to coast tour of America with Columbia Artists as well as locally at the Adam Smith Theatre in Dick Whittington and the Sleeping Beauty with the late Jimmy Logan.
Alison has been a guest teacher for various dancing schools in Scotland, as well as running her own school based in Leven for 5 years.
Alison holds the R.A.D. Teaching Diploma and the I.S.T.D's Certificate in Dance Education and is a fully registered teaching member of the R.A.D. and I.S.T.D.
Linsay MacDonald - Teacher and Head of Admin
Linsay started her dance career at the tender age of 2. As a child performer, Linsay took part in many professional performances including 4 panto seasons at the Adam Smith Theatre and The Nutcracker with Miami City Ballet at Edinburgh's Playhouse. Linsay has also taken part in numerous amateur opera productions with GAMA and MAOS and was co-choreographer for Cupar Junior Opera, and has regularly performed with Yvonne's Scottish troupe.
Linsay was a Scottish Ballet Junior associate and she was also Yvonne's Pupil of the Year in 2002. Linsay is a fully registered member of the USASF (United States Allstar Federation for Cheerleading) and holds coaches Credentials in stunts, tumbling and tosses to level 4.
Linsay recently graduated from the Royal Academy of Dance with a Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies and is now a fully registered teaching member of the R.A.D. Linsay is responsible for planning, customer relations, orders and day to day office management.
Sam Simpson
I started dancing when I was 3 years old, mostly ballet but also jazz, tap, highland and contemporary. I was a Scottish Ballet junior associate and was offered a place at The Dance School of Scotland. I went on to full time training at Ballet West where I danced in their productions of The Sleeping Beauty, Fame and The Nutcracker. I then went to The Scottish School of Contemporary Dance. From there I completed my CBTS with the Royal Academy of Dance and now teach for the Mary Robson School of Ballet and the Scottish School of Contemporary Dance.
Gillian Roberston
Gillian has been dancing for as long as she can remember. First having stepped onto the stage at the age of 5, in a production for The McRitchie School of Dance in Dundee. This first taste of performing has lead to a lifelong passion for dance. She continued with The McRitchie School of Dance for 15 years, studying Jazz, Tap and Highland. During her childhood she also attended Discover Dance (later Dance Advance) to learn Street Dance and Contemporary.
Upon leaving school, Gillian went straight to Dundee College, studying at The Space, on the Contemporary Dance Performance course. She followed this through to a BA (Hons) Dance Completion Award, through Northumbria University. Gillian was one of the first students to complete the degree course, and graduated with a first class honours degree.
She has since taught a variety of styles for The Scottish School of Contemporary Dance but has also taught for many other organisations such as: Stagecoach, Showcase the Street, Small Petit Klein, Dance Advance and Dundee College, and even provided day-long workshops for primary school pupils to promote health and fitness in conjunction with the NHS.
For the past few years Gillian has been the project manager for the NHS schools dance tour 'How We Feel', which is toured around Dundee and Angus secondary schools.
Gillian loves having the opportunity to choreograph and was recently invited to work with renowned choreographer Angus Balbernie at the North Wall Arts Centre in Oxford.
In 2011 Gillian was delighted to join the team at Yvonne Gray School of Dance as their Street Dance teacher
Our Policies
If you are interested in our Policies here at Yvonne Gray you can view them here Our Policies
Testimonials
Read what others have had to say about our studios and classes by reading our testimonials.