Nicola Gaines

Nicola Gaines is both a specialist performer and teacher of Early Dance. A graduate of the London College of Dance and Drama where she first encountered historical dance as taught by the late Belinda Quirey MBE whom she then worked for many years. Following on from the three years at London College she was offered a one year course on the Royal Ballet School’s Teachers Training Course.

Nicola has always had a very keen interest in delivery historical dance material to musicians. Nicola has worked and performed on several educational projects with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment including the orchestra’s 25th celebrations at the Festival Hall. She has also led educational projects for the Victoria & Albert Museum and Viva (East of England Orchestra).

Nicola is the administrator and lecturer for the Dance Research Committee of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (ISTD) She has also taught on numerous courses run for dancers (Yorkshire Ballet Seminars, ISTD Congresses and Cecchetti Summer School) as well as for musicians, (EPTA, ESTA, Susuki and mtpp. Summer Courses, ISM London conference 2004, Pro Corda the Menhuin and Purcell schools).

Nicola is also a senior teacher for the Junior Associates Scheme at the Royal Ballet School where she is responsible for the use of Early Dance material in the JA training programme, and has arranged and choreographed early dances for the JAs, the Dance School of Scotland and Focus on Dance.

In 1998 she recorded a highly acclaimed video on Baroque dance with Christopher Tudor, Michael Holmes and Dr Susan Danby (Hon. Causa) from which the dance clips featured in the PTC Online are taken.