This month our star student is Tabitha McNulty-Skead!
Tabitha McNulty-Skead
Class Attends:
Contemporary (Martha Graham Technique) – Thursdays 8:30pm – 9:30pm with Emma
When did you start dancing?
I have always loved dancing and started taking ballet classes once and then twice a week from around the age of 4. When I was 13 my local dance school grew and for a couple of years I had the chance to try Irish dancing and later a little bit of jazz, however ballet was always the main focus and I took ballet classes around 3/4 times a week as well as assisting the younger children’s classes until I was 18.
After this I moved to uni in Nottingham to study geography, (although I definitely spent just as much time if not more dancing) and here I had the opportunity to try a range of styles including ballet, jazz and lyrical contemporary.
I then took up contemporary after moving to Leeds in February 2019 and am hooked!
What is your favourite style of dance and why?
It’s hard to say as I enjoy so many different styles of dancing. Ballet was my first passion and I always wanted to be a ballerina growing up, but today I would have to say my favourite style is contemporary or jazz.
I love the physicality and intensity of these styles and that they are routed in strength and technique so give you a great workout while also giving you the freedom to get completely lost in the music and express yourself through movement- which I love!
Who inspires you to dance and why?
Over the years I have been lucky enough to be taught by a number of inspiring dance teachers (of which Emma is definitely one!). I owe my dance teachers for a lot, not just my love dancing but also skills and discipline they have taught me that have helped me in all aspects of life.
Aside from my teachers two of my early dance inspirations were Tamara Rojo and Carlos Acosta- I think the passion and feeling they put in to their dancing along with their athleticism is truly inspiring! I used to watch them dancing with the Royal Ballet on TV on repeat growing up.