Our Royal Academy of Dance Certified Faculty
Experienced and Professionally Trained
Vivienne Lim RAD RTS (UK), Cert HE (UK), Cert AdvE (Switzerland)
Artistic Director
Miss Vivienne has been in the dance world her whole life. She was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and grew up in New York City. Dancing since age three, she is fully classically trained and certified by the Royal Academy of Dance (London).
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. She danced professionally with the Neubert Dance Company and 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 training young dancers. Â
Her next stop was the University of Surrey in Guildford, UK, 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). Her students have been chosen for scholarships and acceptance to prestigious dance schools to attend summer programs in Europe, such as Royal Danish Ballet, Central Ballet School London, Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, Royal Ballet School, ART of Madrid, to name a few.
As a progressive learner, Miss Vivienne is a doctoral candidate at the Swiss School of Business & Management in Geneva, Switzerland. Last summer, she completed all required coursework and research in International Law and Politics at the University of Oxford, England. 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 studied global legal issues at NYU Law, which ignited her interest in 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 in 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, 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. 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 and Savoir-Vivre Specialist, International Youth Etiquette, and International Protocol and Diplomacy from IEPA in London, UK. In 2023, she completed the Advanced Etiquette and Protocol training from Institut Villa Pierrefeu in Montreux, Switzerland.
Today, the Royal Academy of Ballet enters its fourteenth year of success. With over 30 years of teaching behind her, Miss Vivienne continues to share her wealth of experience, passion for dance and etiquette, and great love and respect for children with each of her young dancers.
Gillian Davis ARAD (UK), RAD RTS (UK), RAD Dual Examiner (UK)
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 an 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 a faculty member 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 for more than 600 students from the age of 5 to the professional level at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Most summers, she travels to 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 honored to have such a high-caliber teacher at RAB.
