MEET THE TEAM
Emma Blair
Principal
Emma trained in Glasgow and Edinburgh gaining a First Class Honours Degree from Telford College before going on to also train in LA.
She performed professionally on various contracts throughout Asia, the Middle East and Europe, choreographing for various theatrical and commercial groups including The Voice of China in 2015. Her credits include the MTV EMA’s, Enrique Iglesias, Ivy, Rylan Clarke, David Hasselhoff, Raz B (B2K) and various companies including Fifa, Land Rover, Porshe and Zhang Shuai.
Emma has also worked with a company called HeadStrong who specialise in dealing with anxiety, depression and mindset coaching and is trained to master practitioner level in NLP.
As well as being Principal here at Dance Inc, Emma teaches Jazz, Graded Unit, Performance and Production.
Yasmin Doak
Deputy Principal
Yasmin graduated from Telford college with an Honours Degree in Dance. Her styles range from contemporary and lyrical to hip hop and jazz funk.
She has worked as a dancer, choreographer and teacher throughout China, Europe, Dubai, USA and the UK, with artists such as Ms Dynamite, Fat Man Scoop, B.O.B., Domo, the Top 100 Dj Tour, and several singers from The Voice China. Credits also include companies such as Aston Martin, Porsche, Diet Coke, BET Awards, Clarks, The Mobo Awards, Commonwealth and most recently she choreographed and starred in Aldi’s 2022 halloween campaign.
Yasmin also runs her own company, Pink Acid. Pink Acid perform and deliver workshops and classes all over the UK.
As well as being Deputy Principal here at Dance Inc, Yasmin also teaches Heels, Contextual Studies and Teaching Skills.
Mick Scott
Lecturer: Commercial, Hip-Hop Foundations, Portfolio & Industry Prep
Mick has had a versatile career, performing alongside Kelly Rowland, Plan B, David Guetta, Afrojack, Joe Stone and more. He has starred in stage shows such as ‘Step Up: All In’ and ‘Swing: The Musical’, has recently finished a run in the London Palladium and a UK tour with the show ‘Here Comes The Boys’, and also performed as a dancer in the Netflix show ‘Dancer100’.
Creatively Mick choreographed for Mohombi and Nina Sky for tours of the Middle East. He was assistant choreographer for the Dolce & Gabbana Dubai launch events and has also choreographed a show for the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet.
Mick has taught at major performing colleges in Scotland, London, New York, Moscow and Australia; for example Bodyworks, London Studio Centre and NYU. He has been a faculty member for HDI camps both in the UK and Dubai.
Nicola Thomson
Lecturer: Body Conditioning & Anatomy and Injury Prevention for Dancers
Nic began her professional career with Oceania and Norwegian Cruise Lines as a Dancer/Arialist performing in award winning shows such as “Elements”. She also worked with Lynne-Taylor Corbitt while performing in the Broadway show “SWING! The Musical”.
Unfortunately Nic had a serious injury that led to her temporarily leaving the stage for 4 years. In that time she built her own fitness company, RedefineYOU, educating and coaching women to get in shape and build a body and a lifestyle that lets them thrive.
With Nic’s background in both fitness and dance, she combines the two to help dancers protect their bodies for a healthy and lasting career!
Jennifer Taggart
Lecturer: Contemporary & Choreography Skills
After successfully completing her training at West College Scotland and then gaining a BA Honours Degree from the Scottish School of Contemporary Dance (The Space), Jennifer has been performing across the UK as well as choreographing and touring her work.
She worked as Dance Artist for The Work Room and Tramway in Glasgow, and her choreographic work has been performed in Theatre Royal Glasgow, Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, Innovations Festival Chester, Circulate Newcastle and Fertile Ground to name a few.
As well as lecturing in various dance colleges Jennifer runs her own dance studio, Jennifer Scott Dance in Paisley, where she continues to teach and share her experience within the community.
Stephanie Taylor
Lecturer: Jazz
Stephanie started her training in Glasgow at Robert Hamilton’s Dancepoint before moving to London to further her training at The Urdang Academy after being awarded the Leonie Urdang Scholarship.
She has performed on TV productions, events and shows in the UK, Europe, Asia & most recently the Middle East with Dance It Out Dubai; she has also travelled the world extensively as a Dancer & Aerialist with Celebrity Cruises.
Her credits include BBC Children in Need, Barnardos, JCB World Trade Show, Celebrity Cruises and Fiba 3×3.
As well as performing, Stephanie has a passion for teaching – she was Principal of her own dance studio London Base for 7 years. She is excited to be back in Glasgow where she can pass on her knowledge and experience to the Dance Inc. students.
Adam McMillan
Lecturer: Open Choreography & Visual Arts and Video Editing for Portfolio
Adam is a Glasgow born dancer who specialises in hip hop dance & visual arts.
Studying in Glasgow at Reid Kerr to achieve HND in Dance, he went onto continue his studies at London Studio Centre.
He has taught all over the UK and internationally (including Budapest, Amsterdam, Abu Dhabi and Dubai), and is an active member of the hip hop community where he has battled, hosted and judged events since 2011!
As well as being a dancer, Adam is a creative director and a visual artist, capturing the art of dance through the lens. He passes on that valuable knowledge as a lecturer at Dance Inc.
Natalie Skinner
Lecturer: Jazz
After school, Natalie went on to study and graduate in Professional Stage Dance where her love of choreographing, teaching and keen knowledge in jazz technique blossomed.
During her grad year she was accepted into an industry led choreography programme in NYC where she trained over the summer under some of the best in the business like Brian Friedman, Tricia Miranda, Tessandra Chavez and Brooke Lipton.
Since graduating, Natalie has gained choreography jobs under her belt including being part of the 2016’s New Year’s Eve Ball Drop in New York City and choreographing ‘Calamity Jane’ at Motherwell Civic Theatre before opening her own dance school – she is owner & director of Firebird Dance in Glasgow.
Her choreography has received 6 USASF Dance Worlds bids in 2 seasons & her junior jazz team are currently ranked 4th in the world at IASF.
Maria Jiminez
Lecturer: Ballet
María obtained her degree in Classical Ballet through the Royal Academy of Dance and Dramatic Art in Madrid while training at the prestigious María de Ávila Dance School in Zaragoza, Spain. She then became a ballet teacher at the school in 1991, before moving to London in 2001 to study CertHE in Contemporary Dance at The Place LCDS. María also studied the Diploma for Benesh Movement Notators at the Benesh Institute graduating with Distinction.
In 2004, she became a Ballet Mistress for the Ballet de Zaragoza company. María joined Scottish Ballet as Ballet Mistress in 2005, becoming Artistic Coordinator in 2014. In her time with Scottish Ballet, she worked closely with choreographers during the creative process and restaging of multiple choreographies from the company´s repertoire.
Since 2019, she is a Ballet Lecturer at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in both their Junior Conservatoire classes and BA Modern Ballet, teaching ballet, repertoire and Progressing Ballet Technique.
Marina Kelman
Lecturer: Singing & Acting
Marina trained at UK Theatre School before going on to study HND in Musical Theatre at Stow College in Glasgow. She then attended London School of Musical Theatre and lived in London studying and working for a number of years.
Marina has performed and competed throughout the UK, and has taught across Scotland. She began teaching private vocal tuition in Glasgow with a busy diary of over 25 students, priding herself on her ability to help students reach their full vocal potential. Many have now gone on to study at some of the most prestigious performing arts schools in the country, and some are performing on cruise ships and in shows across the world.
Marina progressed her Vocal Coaching Business into MK Academy of Performing Arts, a performing arts training ground for ages 3-18, where she strives to build the confidence of young performers. She is excited to be joining the Dance Inc. team this year and can’t wait to add the skill set of these wonderful dancers.
Kirsten Walker
Lecturer: Contemporary
She has since worked across Scotland performing, teaching and choreographing, working with Jack Webb, Roisin O’Brien Dance, White & Givan, and Dance Inc’s own Jennifer Taggart. She has performed for stage and screen; and with festivals Dance Live, the Edinburgh Fringe, and Tramway Beyond Walls among others.
Kirsten was awarded her teaching diploma with distinction through BBO Dance and has also gained certification in Progressing Ballet Technique and Pilates Mat Work. She has taught all abilities through working with Scottish Ballet, West College Scotland, Bannerman High School’s Dance Academy, The Work Room, Dance Base and more. She looks forward to encouraging a love of dance in the next generation of dancers!