Dr Mary Evelyn, Head of Postgraduate Studies
Following studies in Dance and Education at the University of London, Goldsmiths College, where she was awarded a Certificate of Education, Mary Evelyn trained at London Contemporary Dance School. She was a scholarship student for two of her three years of study. On graduation she worked as a freelance dancer with Dancework, Britain’s first Cunningham-based company; during this time she was awarded a bursary from the Arts Council of England, to enable her to develop her work as a dancer and as a teacher. Subsequently she danced with Richard Alston, performing in London’s first Dance Umbrella Season, and was a founder member of Siobhan Davies Dance Company (at that time, ‘Siobhan Davies and Dancers’).

Mary joined Rambert Dance Company and danced there for eight years. She performed in pieces by some of the most inspirational choreographers of that generation, including Richard Alston, Sir Frederick Ashton, Christopher Bruce, Merce Cunningham, Siobhan Davies, Robert North, Ashley Page, Ian Spink, Glen Tetley, Anthony Tudor and Dan Wagoner.

During her last four years at Rambert Dance Company, Mary also taught company class and choreographed, contributing three major works to the company repertoire, as well as many ‘workshop’ pieces. On her retirement from performing, she choreographed works for other companies including Adventures in Motion Pictures and Transitions, and was one of the first two recipients of the prestigious Bonnie Bird Choreography Award.

In 1988 she joined the faculty of London Contemporary Dance School, teaching technique and choreography and, for eight years, directing the postgraduate performance group 4D. She has been instrumental in developing new courses at LCDS, in consultation with the University of Kent, most notably the Postgraduate Diploma (leading to MA) in Dance Training and Education, which she now leads. This course aims to address the rapidly growing need for the training of contemporary dance teachers at conservatoire level. It is one of only a handful of dance training courses at this level in the world, and is the only one in the UK. Past graduates from the course are now members of the full-time teaching faculty at The Rambert School, Northern School of Contemporary Dance and London Contemporary Dance School.

Mary has been a member of the Academic Board of LCDS since 1990, was a member of the inaugural Academic Board of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama (CDD), and for five years acted as External Examiner for the MA Dance Studies at Laban, appointed by City University. She was awarded her PhD by the University of Kent in 1999. The thesis proposed appropriate models for the teaching of contemporary dance technique, and discussed the relationship between training and education. Mary has supervised postgraduate research at Masters and PhD levels, and has experience of both academic and practice-based supervision.

Dr. Henrietta Bannerman is Head of Research and Academic Practice at London Contemporary Dance School and manages research students and research activities for the School. She specialised in dance history and analysis and in interdisciplinary studies. Her doctoral thesis was on the work of Martha Graham in relation to an analysis of movement vocabulary and syntax and in the development of Graham’s style of dance theatre. Her current teaching and research interests are in aesthetics for dance, culture and dance history with particular emphasis on American and British contemporary dance. She has also been involved in digital arts practice collaborating on a project coordinating live movement and sound through eyesweb software. She has published in Dance Research, Dance Theatre Journal and Dancing Times. She has also been an invited speaker at Magdalen College, Oxford, the University of Roehampton and the University of Wolverhampton as well as presenting at several international conferences. She was an external examiner for dance studies at the University of Wolverhampton and is currently the external examiner for the range of MA programmes at the University of Roehampton.

Lauren Potter, EDge Artistic Director
Lauren trained at LCDS and subsequently danced with London Contemporary Dance Theatre for eight years. She became a founder member of Siobhan Davies Dance Company in 1988. Since working as a freelance dancer and teacher she has been involved in a range of dance projects, both staged and televised. Other dance artists with whom she has worked include Ian Spink with Second Stride, Lloyd Newson with  DV8, Yolande Snaith, Jonathan Lunn, Ashley Page and most recently Rosemary Butcher.

Sue MacLennan Cert Ed, Head of Postgraduate Choreographic Studies
Sue studied dance and drama before qualifying as a teacher and continuing her dance education in the UK and USA. Sue has choreographed over 50 works. She has worked with leading composers, visual artists and video/film makers and as a movement director in theatre. She has programmed work for London’s South Bank, and was a member of Rosemary Butcher Dance Company.  Sue has an interest in new technology and in 2006 she choreographed Just Seconds Before for EDge, the School's Postgraduate Performance Company.  Sue Joined London Contemporary Dance School in 1995.