Ella has been acting, singing and playing the piano from an early age. She landed a role in her first professional opera directed by Ryland Davies aged 16. Born and raised on the Isle of Man, Ella moved to Manchester as she loved the vibe and diversity of the city. She trained as a classical singer in Manchester and at the Royal Welsh College of music and Drama in Cardiff, and sang professionally in operas and musical theatre. She has performed at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall and for the BBC PROMS at the Royal Albert Hall as well as for the BBC Sound Festival in Scotland. Ella has performed in numerous shows, concerts and dramas and has experience in both directing and performing.

Ella has over two decades experience as a specialist singing teacher, voice coach and choral conductor and also trained in voice rehab so she could help people with speaking and voice issues to sing effectively. Ella is an advocate for the benefits of singing, music and performing arts for promoting positive mental health and well-being. She has a wealth of experience working with children and adults with speech language and communication needs as well as neurodiversity.

Out of the spotlight, Ella now enjoys singing as a hobby, performing in charity concerts, exploring folk music and covering popular music in a classical style. She plays keyboard and sings backing vocals in a band. Ella is a writer and poet and regularly writes plays for the students at Footlights Didsbury to perform, and enjoys performing poetry at open mic events.

Ella set up Footlights Didsbury up to be a place where children and young people can come to learn new skills, grow in confidence, make like-minded friends and have regular performing experience. Footlights Didsbury offers a space away from school to be creative and thrive. You will find Footlights Didsbury to be a warm, community focussed school where each and every student is valued as an individual, on their unique performing arts journey.

Eleanor is a singer and vocal coach from Glossop, Derbyshire. She undertook training in music and musical theatre at University of Chichester and Buckinghamshire New University, graduating with BA (Hons) Musical Theatre in 2014, and began work as a professional performer. During this time, Eleanor became interested in teaching and sharing her musical knowledge with others and so began further training to become a vocal coach. This has included the London College of Music Teaching Diploma in Music Theatre, Teaching Young Voices Level 4 Certificate with Voice Workshop, and most recently, studying for a Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) as a singing subject specialist.

Eleanor has worked as an individual vocal tutor and group singing coach in many settings including community choirs, theatre schools and her own private work. She aims to combine the knowledge from her teaching experiences to help support each individual student to reach their potential as a singer and performer.

Your child will discover their voice, build on existing skills and gain confidence in singing and most of all have fun!

Isabella is a North West–based vocalist and educator, with extensive experience in performance, teaching, and arts leadership. She holds a BA in Music & Drama from the University of Manchester and has trained with Antonia Sotgiu, Philip Rushforth, and Sarah Gilmour. A versatile soprano and alto, Isabella has performed with leading chamber choirs, operatic productions, and musical theatre companies, alongside regular solo work and international touring.

Alongside her performance career, Isabella is passionate about early years performing arts education, as Tinys Teacher at Footlights Didsbury she delivers inspiring lessons and nurtures confidence and creativity in young performers. She also teaches acting technique during summer schools. Isabella is an enthusiastic teacher who values building healthy vocal technique, confidence, and musical curiosity across genres and all abilities.

In addition, Isabella works as a Floor Manager for the Manchester based ‘Shop on TV’ which is streamed live on ITV1 daily. Her leadership roles include President of University Chorus and Director of MUMS Opera, developing strong skills in organisation, communication, and inclusive teaching.

Samantha is a dance teacher and choreographer originally from Dundee, Scotland with a passion for movement that began when she was just five years old.

Her professional training took her to New College Lanarkshire and Shockout Arts, where she developed strong technical skills alongside a love for performance and creativity. Wanting to deepen her impact within dance education, she went on to graduate with a PGCE in Dance in 2025, allowing her to combine her experiences as a performer with effective teaching practice.

Over the years, she has had the opportunity to choreograph for a wide range of shows and events, creating pieces that are engaging, expressive, and tailored to each cast and setting. Alongside this, she has taught and choreographed at various schools, colleges and entertainment companies, working with dancers of different ages and abilities.

At Footlights, Samantha teaches our students the importance of warm-ups and cool downs, jazz and musical theatre technique and choreographs routines for all to enjoy no matter their level of dance. Our students get fitter, stronger and develop their flexibility, spatial awareness and memory recall all whilst having lots of fun in our dance classes.

She is passionate about inspiring confidence, creativity, and a genuine love for dance in every student she works with, and she is excited to continue growing, creating, and sharing her knowledge within the dance community.