About

Gillian Davis ARAD (England), RAD RTS (England), RAD Dual Examiner (England)

Board member Dance Masters of Florida (USA)

Guest Master Teacher

GILLIAN DAVIS was trained and danced professionally at the Royal Ballet, London, and with the Rhodesian National Ballet. She has directed and owned dance studios in Rhodesia, South Africa, and the USA and has taught at a renowned vocational school in England. She has been an examiner for the Royal Academy of Dance for 34 years, being the only Graded and Vocational Examiner in the USA and a R.A.D. Tutor. She has entered students for RAD examinations every year for 53 years.

Gillian has recently been a Life Member of the Royal Academy of Dance. Until opening her studio in Florida in 1995, Gillian was Director of Ballet Mississippi School and Youth Company and Assistant Ballet Mistress for their professional company. Following that, she taught at June Taylor's School of Dance and for the North West Dance Theater in Portland, Oregon, where she was also the Chairperson of the North-Western Regional Panel of the R.A.D.

She has choreographed for ballet companies, stage productions, musicals, and competitions, and her choreography has been selected for the Regional Ballet Association's South Easter Festival. She has been faculty of noted Summer Schools in the USA and abroad and is an instructor of teachers. Mrs. Davis was commissioned to direct and present a Gala Demonstration by more than 600 students from age 5 to professional level at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Most summers, she travels for the Royal Academy of Dance and, in the past few years, has examined Thailand, Taiwan, China, Canada, Germany, and Bermuda, to name a few.

Ms. Gillian offers advanced classes at RAB to students preparing for the RAD exams. We are honoured to have such a high-calibre teacher at RAB.

Vivienne Lim RAD RTS (England), BA (Hon) (England), CertHE (England), MBA

Artistic Director

Miss Vivienne was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and grew up in Brooklyn, New York City. She started taking ballet as a child and has danced for over 45 years. She is fully trained and certified by the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) and received her classical ballet training in Malaysia, New York City, Los Angeles, and Europe. She is a proud alumna of New York University and the University of Surrey, England.

In New York City, Miss Vivienne was privately taught by Ballet Master Christine Neubert and celebrated ballerina of the Royal Ballet, beloved dancer and philanthropist Mrs Valerie Taylor- Barnes. While attending law school, she danced professionally with the Carnegie Ballet.

Miss Vivienne then moved from professional dance to corporate work while teaching dance part-time. It was then that she discovered her great love for teaching dance. She left the corporate world behind to fully commit to teaching young dancers.

Her next stop was the University of Surrey in England, where she earned a degree in Ballet Education and full RAD teacher certification. Upon graduating, she was offered the Young Children’s Program Director position at Dance Studio No. 1 in Santa Monica, California. She successfully enrolled hundreds of students in the RAD examinations for two decades annually. She coached and trained young dancers for the International Dance Acclaim (IDA) and the Youth American Grand Prix (YAGP).

As a progressive learner, Miss Vivienne completed all required coursework and research in International Law and Politics at Oxford University, England, last summer. She is a doctoral candidate at the Swiss Business School in Geneva, Switzerland. Her diverse academic background in International Business and Marketing has provided her with a unique platform for global knowledge. As a native New Yorker, she attended NYU School of Law, where her interest in International Relations ignited another passion, global diplomacy, and protocol. Hence, she embarked on a journey to explore the comprehensive world of international etiquette and protocol.

A delegate at The United Nations Institute for Training & Research, her key area of study is Multilateral Diplomacy and International Law, which has earned her certification status in various programs such as Protocol Peace Security, Public and Cultural Diplomacy, Digital Diplomacy, Anti-Corruption and Cyber Warfare, Cybersecurity/Neural Networks and The United Nations Human Rights Council Training Programs.

Miss Vivienne believes learning never stops because life never stops teaching, so she continues to hone her teaching skills. As cultural competence is an important skill set for the 21st century. In 2022, she became Hawaii’s First and ONLY licensed consultant in International Social Etiquette, Savoir-Vivre Specialist, International Youth Etiquette, and International Protocol and Diplomacy from IEPA in London, England.

Today, the Royal Academy of Ballet enters its thirteenth year of success. With over 30 years of teaching behind her, Miss Vivienne continues to share her wealth of experience, passion for dance, etiquette, and great love and respect for children with each of her young dancers.