All About Our Dance Conservatoire
Teaching Faculty
Johane Casabene
Artistic Director
Fellow & Tutor I.S.T.D. (London)
Masters in
Dance & Related Subjects
(L.U.D.T.) Italy
Member of the BTDA (UK)
Johane Casabene has been teaching dance, mainly Classical Ballet, as well as Modern Jazz and Contemporary, for 28 years. She is a Fellow and Tutor of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (I.S.T.D.), a highly reputable dance organisation based in London. She is also a Registered teacher of the BTDA, UK. Johane is a member of the Association Francaise des Maitres de Danse Classique. At seventeen she left Malta for three years and obtained a Masters in Dance and Related Subjects from the Libera Universita’ di Danza e Teatro (Mantova - Italy). Whilst in Italy, she toured with the Balletto Regionale di Mantova. She also furthered her dance studies in England and France. She has worked with exceptional artists like Jorge Esquivel (Primo Ballerino of the Opera di Cuba, now at the New York City Ballet), Carlos Palacios, Paul Maieorescu (Director and Ballet Master, State Opera, Rumania), Steve La Chance (known on the popular TV show ‘Amici’), Suzanna Egri, Jean Charles Gil (Director, Ballet d’Europe) and others. Johane has directed, produced and performed in numerous dance shows both at the Manoel Theatre and the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Malta. She also performed in various dance festivals abroad.
Over the last years Johane has worked on the setting up of the first Dance Conservatoire in Malta, which is intended to provide the right structure where young Maltese dancers can reach a professional level. This will in time allow Maltese dancers to embark on a career either as professional dancers or as teachers both locally as well as abroad. Johane is a Founding Member of the Malta Youth Ballet Foundation which offers a Diploma in Professional Dance at level 5 EQF/MQC.
Elizabeth Gardner Watson
Ballet Teacher
DDE I.S.T.D. (London)
Ms. Elizabeth Watson started her training at the Anthorne School in London. There she was trained by Diana Barker, Jacqui Langman, Nesta Brooking and Nora Roche. She was a runner up for the Mabel Ryan awards and won the Maybe Ryan award in consequent years. Elizabeth was a Cecchetti scholar and won the Cecchetti scholar prize for two years, she was also the winner of Cecchetti choreographic competition and also won the Helen Wolska scholarship through Eileen Langman. In London she had the opportunity to attend repertoire classes with Dame Alicia Markova.
She also completed her Cecchetti exams up to the Advanced 2 level. Between 1981 and 1984 she was trained at the Ballet Rambert and in 1982 was awarded a scholarship with Rambert school. Between 1984 and 1992, she danced in Germany (Luneburg/Karlsrhue/Kiel). She also taught Ballroom and Latin dance at the Arthur Murrays School in London, and at the TC Dance Club International in London.
Apart from her professional career as a dancer, Elizabeth modelled for Top Mods in Cape Town, Top Models London, and Sandra Reynolds in Norwich. She also choreographed for TV adverts and series such as Specsavers, British Airways and Lovejoy. She was chosen for the face of Specsavers and she starred in The Chief, Ivanhoe, Lovejoy, Growing Rich and Riders. Between 2000 and 2011 Elizabeth formed the first dance company in Covent Garden. In these years she created a ballet school within Framlingham College prep school, Brandeston Hall, Suffolk, where she entered students on a regular basis for their Cecchetti exams. In 2017 Elizabeth moved to Malta and she is now very happy to be part of the teaching faculty at the Johane Casabene Dance Conservatoire.
Svetlana Silina
Ballet & Spanish Dance Teacher
A.I.S.T.D. (London)
Diploma Profesora de Baile (SDS) Diploma Teacher of Choreographic Discipline (TCD)
MGUK Russian organiser SDS
Svetlana Silina started her classical ballet training in a private school in Moscow where for ten years she was taught, by amongst many others, Lubov Jakunina and Alexandre Prokoviev, former Bolshoi graduates. In 1976, Svetlana performed in classical roles in organised concerts in Moscow. In 1989 she graduated – specialising in Culture – from the Moscow University. Here she graduated as both a Classical Ballet Maître and a teacher of Russian Folk Dance. Svetlana began teaching at one of the leading Russian Folk Companies for children. Here she taught both Classical Ballet and Russian Folk Dance. During this period she also performed with a Russian Folk Group touring most regions in Russia. In 1996, Svetlana made Malta her home and was a member of the teaching faculty at the Central Academy of Ballet for seventeen years. In 2000 she was invited to teach in a Summer School in Udine – Italy. Svetlana also holds her Associate status from the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, Cecchetti Faculty, as well as IdB (I) & IdB (II),PdB from the Spanish Dance Society. Svetlana is currently being trained to become an examiner for the Spanish Dance Society. In 2004 she was appointed Head of Spanish Dance at the Malta Drama & Music Centre. In 2017, she became Head of Spanish Dance Faculty at the Johane Casabene Dance Conservatoire. She still holds both positions to date.
Whilst having 30 years of teaching experience with both adults and children alike, she believes that it is essential to continue with one’s own professional development in order to grow as a professional as well as to broaden ones’ knowledge. She is still motivated to keep learning and has a great interest for universal dance in general.
In Malta Svetlana has choreographed for several dance performances, as well as performed in various ballet shows such as Little Mermaid, My Fair Lady, Aladdin and the wonderful lamp and Notre Dame de Paris, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Choreographies included classical ballet, Russian Folk, Oriental dances, Hungarian dances, Mexican dances as well as Classical Spanish and Flamenco dances.
She also choreographed for a scene in the TV movie “Julius Caesar” (2002). Svetlana participated in Notte Bianca performance in Malta in 2006 and 2007. She also performed in “Carmen” flamenco ballet by Allegrias Dance Company, Malta. Svetlana choreographed for the production of ‘Carmencita’ and ‘Moulin Rouge’ produced by Johane Casabene.
She also performed on several occasions on PBS - the national television station in Malta. In 2003 Svetlana started teaching at the Malta Drama & Music Centre which is run by the Government of Malta and in 2004 was appointed Head of Spanish Dance, a position she still holds to date. Svetlana was a member of the teaching faculty at the Brigitte Gauci Borda School of Dance from 2015-2018. Here she also played the role of the Queen in the Ballet production of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and did various choreographies for the ballet ‘Beauty and the Beast’ for the same school.
She was appointed as the ballet master responsible to coach the gymnasts who are in the Malta National Team. From 2017 Svetlana became the Head of the Spanish Dance Faculty at the Johane Casabene Dance Conservatoire where she still teaches to date.
Svetlana has been the exam organizer for the Spanish Dance Society and Spanish Dance Association in Russia since 2010.
Federica Nicastro
Ballet & Modern Theatre Jazz Teacher
Diploma in Professional Dance
Adv 2 Cecchetti
Federica started her training at the Johane Casabene Dance Conservatoire at the age of 12. Since then, she participated in various events and productions produced by the school amongst others La Bayadere, Romeo and Juliet, President's Annual Concerts and lately Pinocchio in which she was the Volpe. Federica has obtained her Advanced Cecchetti and ISTD Modern Theatre at Intermediate level. She also followed a 2 year full-time course with the Malta Youth Ballet Foundation, obtaining her Diploma in Professional Dance EQF/MQF Level 5. Federica plans to continue her studies in dance and is excited to start teaching. She has now joined the teaching faculty of the JCDC and is working towards her DDE in Modern Dance.
Gabriele, born in Rome, Italy, in 1993, began his studies in dance at the age of ten at A.S. Full Dance. Here, Gabriele learnt a variety of dance styles including jazz and tap dance. Between 2003 and 2014, Gabriele gained professional experiences in tap dance, achieving seven gold medals at the World Championships, in Germany, and a theatre season at Salone Margherita, Rome, at the age of eighteen. It was in 2012, after three weeks of study in New York at the Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway where he developed an interest in contemporary dance and ballet, which he then studied for three years at the National Dance Academy, Rome. In 2016 Gabriele graduated from the Academy with top marks. In 2017, Gabriele joined Transitions Dance Company, London, and he got the chance to tour around the UK and Europe performing the works by Richard Chappell, Hagit Yakira and Jarko Partanen. In the same year Gabriele followed his academic studies and then he got a PG degree in Dance Performance at Trinity Laban, London.
In 2018, Gabriele joined Moveo Dance Company under the Artistic Direction of Dorian Mallia.
In his further contemporary dance experiences, Gabriele had the chance to dance for Mauro Bigonzetti, Fabrizio Monteverde, Caterina Rago, Lali Ayguadé and Roser López Espinosa.
Gabriele Farinacci
Contemporary Dance,
Modern Theatre Jazz Dance
& Tap Dance teacher
Graduate from the Academia Nazionale di Danza Roma.
Tap World Champion
Leonora Chircop
Ballet Teacher
BA Hons in Professional Dance
Adv 2 Cecchetti
Leonora started training with the Johane Casabene Dance Conservatoire at a young age. She participated in many local workshops and dance courses, as well as performances with the school namely Cinderella, La Sylphide, La Bayadere, Presidents' New Year's Day Concert, Romeo and Juliet, many others and lately the Fata Turchina in Pinocchio. At the age of fourteen she moved to Hungary where she attended the Hungarian State Academy for a year. Upon her return she continued her training with Ms Casabene achieving her Advanced Cecchetti with Honours. Leonora came second place in the Malta Eurovision Young Dancers and first place in the Classical Ballet Category at the MIDCE Competition held in Malta and subsequently placing first in a dance competition in Italy. Leonora followed a full-time course with the Malta Youth Ballet Foundation obtaining a Diploma in Professional Dance and then furthered to a BA Hons at the Academia Nazionale di Roma through an Erasmus exchange. She is now very happy to be teaching at the JCDC and furthering her studies towards her ISTD teaching qualifications.
Natasha Nikolic
Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (Honours)
DDE, ISTD (London)
Ballet Teacher
Natasha started training at a very young age and joined the Johane Casabene Dance Conservatoire at the age of 11. Since then, Natasha participated in various school events and productions including Cinderella, La Sylphide, La Bayadere, Romeo and Juliet, Pinocchio, The Wizard of Oz, and some of the President's Annual Concerts. Natasha completed her ISTD Advanced Cecchetti Ballet (EQF/MQF Level 4) and ISTD Intermediate Modern Theatre (EQF/MQF Level 3). In the meantime, she also obtained a Bachelor Degree in Software Development at the University of Malta (EQF/MQF Level 6). Natasha has been part of the JCDC Teaching Faculty for the last four years. She has obtained her DDE Teaching status in Classical Ballet after being coached and trained by Ms Johane Casabene herself.
Jessica Farrugia
Classical Ballet Teacher
Legat System
MRB Soc. Senior Teaching
Jessica started her training with the Olivia Dow School of Russian Ballet at the age of 5 and has performed in most of her productions.
She has been thought by Olivia Dow MRB Soc., PDTD (Hons) for 14 years. She obtained her Senior Teacher Examination status and has been teaching the Legat system at the Olivia Dow School for 13 years. Jessica was appointed Senior Teacher of the School and was also responsible for running it for the last five years.
After 27 years Ms Dow has sadly closed the school, however Jessica would like to endeavour to continue teaching the legacy of the Legat System she has learnt herself and taught for many years as well as to continue the work of the Russian Ballet Society in Malta.
Nikolai Gustavovich Legat, was a premier dancer with the Russian Imperial Ballet from 1888 to 1914, and also with the Mariinsky Ballet. A rigorous training method has been created with a syllabus in the Legat System and examinations are now also accredited by Ofqual.
Jessica is now very happy and enthusiastic to be part of the teaching faculty at the Johane Casabene Dance Conservatoire.
Our Resident Pianist
Maria Attard
B.A Hons, ATCL
Pianist
Maria (B.A Hons, ATCL) started taking piano lessons at the age of 6 under the tuition of the late Ms. Dorselle Mifsud Bonnici. She continued her music studies at A Level at GF Abela Junior College, where she joined the JC orchestra and took part in over 100 concerts, both national and international. At Universtiy she studied under the tuition of Prof. Michael Laus and Dr Hans-Jürgen Nagel, with Piano performance as her main subject. She graduated with honours in B.A Hons in Music Studies. Today, Maria is Malta's only full-time ballet pianist at Johane Casabene Dance Conservatoire, where she accompanies both syllabus and open classes. She is also a piano teacher and works with Malta's national dance company, Zfin Malta.
Testimonials
Martina Camilleri Bondin
Student
This year has been AMAZING , FUN and I made lots and lots of new friends!! I also learnt many, MANY new things, I even got much more flexible too! I also love the idea that this school gives us lots of opportunities, like in competitions and shows! Apart from that, we have summer school, which is spectacular! It’s a combination of fun and learning, which is perfect! To summarize, this is the best experience of my life joining this school Thank you millions,
Jean Karl Grech
Parent
As a parent, I look for activities that bring out the best in my child’s character, build confidence, encourage discipline, and entice physical development. JCDC hits the mark on all aspects and more. My daughter is ecstatic to belong to the JCDC family and will not have it any other way.
Being a JCDC student myself in my younger years, the choice for my daughter was obvious. JCDC has a professional, yet fun environment that feels like family. The teaching method used is disciplined and at a high level of artistry. And the best part is, my daughter couldn’t be happier!!
Ana Stajkovic Georgalakis
Parent
My daughter has been dancing since she was five years old, but has undergone a transformation after walking through your friendly doors, where she feels like her second home . You've encouraged her passion and given her numerous chances to improve her abilities and compete at a higher level. The chances you give your students through rehearsals and competitions along with your super teachers and choreographers, make JCDC truly exceptional. I'm very grateful and thank you for everything!