Miss Louise Benson (DDE ISTD)

Louise was accepted into the prestigious Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London when she was just 11 years old. There, she received extensive training from renowned teachers such as Patricia Prime, Bonnie Lythgoe, Pat Dennison, and Gary Lloyd. With her experience as a child performer on television and in theatre, combined with her training, she graduated at 18 with professional teaching qualifications in Ballet, Tap, and Modern dance from ISTD.

Throughout her career, Louise has performed in various famous theatres in London, including The Dominion, The Bloomsbury, and The Palladium. She has also appeared in numerous pop videos for artists such as Fat Boy Slim, Westlife, and Texas. Additionally, Louise has been featured in commercials and TV shows like Nokia for X Factor, National Anti-Smoking Campaign, Supernoodles Campaign, Clearasil, and The Bill. She has also modelled for brands such as Whistles, Marks and Spencer, Topshop, Karen Millen, House of Fraser, and Betty Jackson in London, Hong Kong, and Manila.

Teaching has always been a passion for Louise, and after teaching at various dance schools, she co-founded the successful Lucie Benson School of Dance with Vanessa Lucie in 2005. They produced incredible shows at the Epsom Playhouse and various other productions, resulting in great examination success and helped many pupils gain places at full-time performing arts colleges like Urdang, Performers, Stella Mann, and Masters. Starting with only a few students, the school grew to hundreds of pupils by 2014.

In 2010, Louise was offered a small dance school in West Wickham. She started Lucie Benson School of Dance (Bromley) as an offshoot of the main school in Putney, with just a few students. After having her first baby in 2014, Louise took full control of the West Wickham School, which has helped hundreds of students explore their love of dance. The school is known for being kind and non-competitive, with a friendly nurturing environment, allowing everyone to experience the Arts positively.

Louise is a fully qualified teacher in Ballet, Tap, and Modern dance with ISTD. She is also fully qualified in Acrobatics teaching with Acrobatic Arts, a registered chaperone, DBS checked, and first aid trained, with relevant public liability insurance.