About

Sue Hewgill Peterson

RAD RTS Life Member

Sue's connection with dance began at age 3 when she attended her first ballet classes in her hometown of Hartlepool,UK. She gained a place at Elmhurst Ballet School, in Camberley, Surrey (now in Birmingham, England) at age 10 and progressed to train at the Royal Ballet School.

Sue has had many exciting roles in the world of dance. From establishing her own dance studio and dancewear shop, which continue to run today, to working as the Head of Dance at Queen Margaret’s Independent Boarding School in York. During this time she also taught for The Royal Ballet School’s Associate Program.

Everywhere she has gone her love of dance has been infectious, empowering hundreds of new dancers, many of whom have gone into the profession. She has performed in and choreographed many musicals and ballets and staged countless amateur and professional dance productions including pieces set to music composed especially for her.

She was a Committee Member, Treasurer and Vice-Chair of The Yorkshire Region of the Royal Academy of Dance and has run and taught many prestigious Summer Schools including RAD and Yorkshire Youth Dance Theatre, also for schools in Spain and Isle of Mann. She is proud to be a Life Member of The Royal Academy of Dance.

Between 2004 and 2010 she lived and worked in North Carolina USA actively and passionately sharing her expertise as the Executive Director of Carolina Performing Arts Centre. In that post, she introduced the Royal Academy of Dance Graded and Vocational Examination System to Eastern NorthCarolina.

After 2015 she returned to the USA, this time to Florida. There she was a volunteer with The Sarasota Ballet Company and since 2018 was fully employed as Head of the Children's Program for The Sarasota Ballet School where she continued until September 2020. She taught The Royal Academy of Dance syllabus and the American Ballet Theatre Curriculum.

In September 2020 she and her husband returned to England.

After being inspired with teaching classes and workshops virtually from March 2020 onwards she has now set up a Zoom room in their home where she will continue to teach ballet courses.

Sue is a generous, kind-hearted soul with a keen interest in volunteering. Roles include rehearsing shows with the Carolina Ballet Company in Raleigh NC to stewarding at the BBC Antiques Roadshow at The Royal Ballet School’s Junior School, White Lodge in Richmond Park, Surrey.

Sue's philanthropic work extends to her role as Founder and President of the ‘We Can Dance” Charity which raises money to enable children with Special Needs in the North of England to attend weekly dance classes and holiday workshops.

A percentage of the profits of her book Dance for your Life: Steps to better health with Stories to Inspire about the transferable life skills learned through involvement in dance will go to supporting the work of this charity.

She is a volunteer at Thomas Gainsborough’s House Art Museum while in Sudbury and loves to travel. Sue share her wealth of dance knowledge through her talk “Dance Keeps Me On My Toes” and her virtual Zoom course “Let's Pointe to Safety!”.

Silver Swans* Ballet classes are held weekly in Sudbury Suffolk.

She also makes a mean pumpkin pie.

Information and review below regarding “Let’s Pointe to Safety”