Our teachers
Vivienne Greener
Viv set up “Stages School of Dance” in 1984 at the local YMCA with half a dozen students. She originally trained with RAD and then over the years has trained with The British Theatre Dance Association, The North British Dance Organisation and then Northern Counties Dance Teachers Association, of which she is a Fellow member.
Viv took the lead role in Stepping Out, where she took the part of Mavis which was originally played by Liza Minnelli. She has been in various productions over the years including a Kit Kat girl and one of the “Two Ladies” in Cabaret.
Viv has choreographed a number of productions for various Musical Theatre groups which have included Annie, Carousel and Me and My Girl.
She believes in encouraging her own students to take their teaching qualifications once they have finished taking all of their grades in the various subjects she teaches. Some of her students have gone on to professional Stage/Ballet schools and are working professional in the entertainment industry.
Whether her students dance for fun or to work in the “business” Viv believes in trying to get the most out of her students in a friendly, relaxed environment.
Viv has been an examiner for The NCDTA for a number of years now and is chair of the theatre examiners branch. She is also a member of the Council of Management.
Lizzy Drew
Lizzy began dancing at Stages when she was 3 years old, and stayed until the age of 18, regularly taking part in shows, competitions and pantomimes. At 18 she moved on to study at The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, training in various dance styles, singing, acting and aerial arts. She graduated in 2019, and went on to perform in several productions across the UK and Ireland, before moving home to focus on teaching. Here at Stages, she currently teaches contemporary, freestyle, acro and commercial jazz among other styles, and loves seeing kids of all ages progress and have fun! Lizzy is also qualified as a teacher with the NCDTA, with whom she has taught for at AGM events, and she has aspirations to one day become an examiner on the board alongside her teaching.
Claire Veitch
Claire has been a part of the Stages School of Dance family for over 3 decades. Her passion for dance started back in 1991 when, aged 8, she began her training with Viv Greener.
Claire was a dedicated student who quickly progressed through and completed her examinations and awards up to Grade 6. It was at this time, aged 15, she was asked to help assist in classes and shortly after that entrusted to lead her own.
Claire became an official member of the NCDTA in 2002 after taking her Pre-Associate teaching examination, and since then went on to achieve further Associate and Licentiate qualifications. Claire continued to teach at Stages throughout her time at college and university and also whilst working in other areas of employment. Throughout her dance training, Claire regularly performed in competitions, pantomimes and of course the biennial dance shows which are always such a wonderful experience for all involved whether student or teacher!
Over 20 years on and now with two children of her own, Claire is still currently teaching both children and adults in the disciplines of ballet, tap and stage.
Claire has had the pleasure of training many students over the years, taking pride in helping them along with their own dance journeys. Building self confidence in her students is just as important to Claire as skill and technique and above all else, keeping that love for dance going.
Claire Mazzucchi
Claire began dancing at Stages School of Dance when she was 3 years old!. It has been with Viv Greener and Stages that she has been trained and completed all her amateur exams in ballet, tap and modern up to grade 6.
From the age of 15, Claire started assisting in teaching a range of classes, primarily toddler and pre primary classes and thus began her love for teaching.
At 18, Claire had a short break from Stages when she moved away for university. However while at university Claire continued dancing and was a member of the university dance club and was selected to be part of the university competition team where she represented the university at various competitions across the UK. During holidays from University, she made sure to still attend classes at Stages and began work on her Associate teaching qualification and in 2016 became a member of NCDTA in the Ballet Branch.
Since then she has completed her Associate Licentiate teaching qualifications and is now being trained by Viv to take her Fellowship and to begin work towards becoming a NCDTA Examiner.
Currently at Stages, she teaches ballet, tap and modern jazz to both children and adults and enjoys watching students progress and develop a love of dance!
Samantha Greener
Samantha started dancing from the age of 3 at her family business, Stages School of Dance. From a young age she was competing in local festivals, performing in pantomimes and dancing professionally in cabarets and UK Touring companies from the age of 17. She then trained professionally at The Urdang Academy in London before going on to have a successful career on both land and sea all over the world. Her credits include principal dancer for ‘Rouge’ Cabaret show, ‘La Bouche showgirls’, ‘La Dreams Follies’, Dance Captain for several cruise companies and swing for ‘Extravanganza’ in Las Vegas, USA. A proud member of NCDTA for many years, Samantha has continued her training and has worked for a variety of schools within the North-East including professional performance academies. She now primarily works as a teacher for Stages School of Dance, in the styles Freestyle, Acro, Ballet, Tap and Modern. She is extremely passionate about working with young children – giving them a creative outlet and helping them to prepare for a potential career in the performance industry.
