People

The Artistic Director - Caron Yardley
Post Graduate Diploma; BA (Hons); Diploma of Arts; RAD RTS, RAD Teaching Diploma; Licentiate IDTA (Ballet)

Caron gained her formative dance training both in the UK and Australia, studying the IDTA and RAD methods. Marie Cumisky, Caron's first ballet teacher in Australia and former Principal dancer with Melbourne's National Theatre Ballet company, noticed an aptitude for teaching and took her under her wing - imparting the arts of teaching,choreography and directing as well as major level study in ballet, pointe, mime and pas de deux. Marie was the one that advised Caron into gaining a wider perspective and training in her Elementary Ballet studies by learning from other teachers - Angela Hill was the inspired teacher that Marie recommended. Angela, has to this day remained both a teaching inspiration, mentor and friend. After being accepted into a full time ballet teachers course and working under the expert and gifted guidance of Laurel Martyn OBE, (Sadlers Wells Ballet, Borovansky Ballet, Australian Ballet and Artistic Director of Ballet Victoria) Caron not only Graduated with Distinction, but was Awarded the Laurel Martyn OBE Scholarship for teaching talent. Laurel continued to be a major source of inspiration and encouragement, extending Caron's dance training to Advanced level, broadening her knowledge and expertise in dance production, and imparting the little artistic and interpretive details so important to ballet performance. After Graduation Caron ran a successful regional ballet school and small dance company on the outskirts of Melbourne for several years before undertaking a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dance Education and a Post Graduate Diploma - which included in depth study of the Vaganova system of ballet training. In the interim Caron taught ballet for a variety of private ballet schools in Australia and the UK, as well as at professional vocational level. The teaching of Open Classical Ballet classes to full-time vocational students and her involvement with youth ballet groups, led to the creative side of dance gradually becoming more dominant, taking more precedence in Caron's professional experiences and providing a greater sense of fulfilment and direction than syllabus teaching alone had previously achieved. Coupled with an ever growing and strong desire to create, and to work on the performance side of ballet training, led Caron to form South Coast Ballet. All the accumulated skills, talents and knowledge passed down from the generous ballerina's, alongside vast and diverse training, experiences, education, one-to-one coaching and guidance from prestigious mentors could now come together as one - artistry, interpretation, musicality, mime and expression linked with the skills of choreography, coaching, directing and producing. Instead of teaching syllabus Caron now uses her talents to create narrative ballets. Ballets that radiate a real sense of the theatre and theatricality - on and off stage. South Coast Ballet is a wonderful vehicle through which to create and reproduce some beautiful ballets for audiences, and indeed the company dancers, to enjoy and delight in!