About
The Lea Sandford School of Dancing offers classes to boys and girls from age 3 years in Royal Academy of Dance – Ballet. Our students have the opportunity to take part during the year in examinations, competitions and concerts. We have a family orientated community in our dance school which encourages our students and celebrates their successes.
Every year in December, the Lea Sandford School of Dancing produces their Christmas Concert in the Whangaparaoa College Auditorium. Last year the programme was comprised of thirty dances, involving sixty-eight girls aged between three and twenty years old and one young lad. The choreography, music and costumes were of their usual high standard, and it was enjoyed by a capacity audience. At the conclusion of this concert, as is tradition, Lea presented a number of ballet certificates to her pupils, for passing their Royal Academy of Dance grade and vocational examinations.
Lea Sandford / Principal
Lea is a Life Member and registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance. Lea has been operating in Red Beach for the past twenty one years. Her Dance School offers classes in ballet, contemporary and lyrical dance. The students also have the opportunity of learning solo dances for competitions. She has proved to be a very experienced, caring and knowledgeable teacher and some of Lea’s students are now registered teachers themselves.
Lea started teaching at the age of fifteen. In her first year of teaching her students were successful in their Royal Academy of Dance examinations. Her teacher, Mrs. Tess Graham, who was the principal of the Northland School of Ballet, then asked Lea to teach for her. This caused Lea some anxiety when she discovered some of the students were older than her. However, these students were many years behind Lea’s level, and therefore were able to benefit from her knowledge.
Nowadays, Lea offers examinations in ballet, medal test competitions and concerts, performing for family and friends. During the year her students also perform by invitiation at local retirement villages. Lately Lea has started teaching classes for Silver Swans in the Hibiscus Coast community.
Sofia Mcdonald / Teacher
I grew up dancing at the Lea Sandford School of Dance, completing all of my Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) exams including grade 8 in 2012 and advanced 2 in 2017. I developed a huge passion for dance and decided that I wanted to build a career in dance teaching. In 2016 I graduated from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Dance Studies. The three years I spent there were highly valuable to me; I learnt a huge amount and even got to represent New Zealand at the Youth International Dance Festival in Macau.
I moved to Europe in February 2018, basing myself in Stockholm where I met my boyfriend and therefore ended up staying much longer than planned! I was also lucky enough to be accepted to study at the Royal Academy of Dance headquarters in London. I spent my summers there in 2018 and 2019, finally completing a Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Dance qualification in 2020 after spending the summer on Zoom in the thick of the pandemic.
Since 2019 I have been teaching at a studio in Stockholm called Gustavsbergbaletten, teaching preschoolers, RAD grades, vocational and repertoire, pointe, open adult classes and even ballet for figure skaters! I have gained so much experience teaching here, and all in Swedish! At the same time I have also been working as a gym manager and Les Mills group fitness instructor. Huge weeks but all so rewarding.
My partner and I have now decided to make the move across the world and will be arriving in New Zealand at the end of October. While it is hard to leave the great life I’ve established in Stockholm I am so excited to settle back in to NZ and start teaching again where it all started at the Lea Sandford School of Dance!