Meet Our Principal: Judy John-Baptiste

At the heart of BDS Ballet School is our founder and Principal, Judy John-Baptiste—a highly accomplished dance educator, author, and curriculum designer with over three decades of teaching excellence.

Judy’s formal training began at the renowned Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. She holds a Master of Arts from Middlesex University and a Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) in Dance from Surrey University.

A pioneer in dance education, Judy has written courses for national accreditation through the Open College Network (OCN) and authored six respected dance books:

• Ali's First Ballet Exam

• Ali's Ballet Alphabet Book

• Children's Ballet Dictionary

• Teaching Ballet Creatively

• The Dance Recital

• Triumph Over Adversity: Black Ballerina

With over 30 years of teaching experience, Judy brings unmatched expertise, warmth, and dedication to every class. Her track record speaks for itself: to date, she has never had a single student fail an exam. Under her guidance, dancers of all ages and backgrounds find the confidence, technical foundation, and inspiration to truly thrive.