Our core tutors have all been with LCN since we started (so for 15 years!).
As you might expect for people who’ve been working together for so long, we’re an extremely close-knit team who care deeply about each other and every child we teach. We can’t wait to meet yours!
Our tutors are experienced, passionate, friendly, inspirational and invest a huge amount of time ensuring lessons, song choices, choreography and drama ideas are kept as up-to-date and fresh as possible.
Laura Joyes
Laura is a qualified Primary teacher (BA QTS Performing Arts / Drama), and has her Certificate of Dance in Education from the ISTD. She’s First Aid trained (including Mental Health first aid). Before creating LCN Performing Arts in 2006, Laura loved teaching at Pineapple Performing Arts School in Covent Garden – working on their educational outreach programme for 16-21 year olds, y@p. She has taught in the London area for over twenty years, and been a freelance performing arts teacher for at least ten. Most recently she’s loved being back in the classroom teaching KS2 and running Glee Clubs along side her class teacher role. Prior to this, Laura taught dance and drama at numerous local schools including St Winifred’s, St Margarets Lee C of E, John Ball Primary School, Alleyn’s (Dulwich) and St Dunstan’s College (Catford). “Our job as teacher and tutor incorporates many roles. We need to be aware of the student’s academic, social and moral welfare – to develop them holistically. This enables them to reach and celebrate their full potential.” It’s all about relationships. It’s all about variety. It’s all about fun! ….To be honest it all started with Fame, back in the 80’s. Laura has danced wherever she can ever since.
Hazel Sommerville
Hazel, our resident dance teacher, is ISTD qualified in FDI Modern and Tap, has her Associate Freestyle and high grades in Trinity ATCL Musical Theatre, ATCL Speech and Drama and Grade 8 Group Musical Theatre. Hazel has appeared in Christmas Pantomimes, Aladdin and Sleeping Beauty for STV Scotland.
Hazel has been working at LCN for almost as long as it’s been running, and teaches every week at our Saturday classes (and often at our holiday schools too)! In addition, she has choreographed for the Dance Proms at the Royal Albert Hall – and continues to teach up and down the country at numerous colleges and schools.
Tasha Pocock
Tasha has a Master of Arts in Fine Arts and a First Class Honours and Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts. She is a local artist having exhibited at the London Barbican and in Canterbury Cathedral, winning their artist prize. She also specialises in installation works as well as portraiture. Tasha has 20 yrs experience with children and within a school setting. Tasha has worked with children with various SEN needs and has a certified safeguarding certificate. Portraits and commissions done for many private projects – she’s our local superstar and she’s ours!! We are very lucky that she runs our fun art workshops on a Saturday morning and at our holiday schools- making art relevant, fun and inspiring.
Arthur Jones
Arthur works on the West End production team for Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, Sunset Boulevard, Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 the Musical, Pretty Woman: The Musical and a number of other high-profile musicals and plays. Graduating from Warwick University’s Theatre course back in 2014 with first class honours and the Student Prize, he grew up immersed in LCN (first as a 7-year-old attendee, later as an assistant and eventually the drama tutor!). He’s now 30, meaning him and Laura haven’t left each other’s sight for 22 years. Upon leaving university, he also formed his own interactive theatre company and frequently creates and tours shows to top venues in London, Edinburgh’s world-famous Underbelly Festival and more.
Jo Riley
A graduate of The Royal Academy of Music, Jo began her singing career performing in Kurt Weill’s Threepenny Opera on Broadway. She then spent 7 years touring the world with the internationally acclaimed ‘Swingle Singers’ performing in venues such as La Scala, The Royal Albert Hall, and Ronnie Scott’s.
Since leaving the Swingles, Jo has been much in demand on the London session scene recording TV and film soundtracks (Glee, Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast) and recording for an eclectic selection of solo artists (Sting, Florence And The Machine, Il Divo, Coldplay, Johnny Dankworth and Cleo Laine). She regularly performs with many of London’s leading vocal groups and jazz ensembles, works as a teacher and choral director, and leads a cappella master classes and choral workshops.