Our people

A Board member since 1981, Jane has over 45 years experience in the public and private sectors of industry, running a large and successful dance centre and training thousands of medallists, competitors and professionals up to and including examiners. Fully supportive of the modular system, she encourages many of her busy clients to adopt this method of examination. Continuing professional development is high on her agenda.

A Fellow and Examiner in all Ballroom branches, Lecturer, Adjudicator and Scrutineer, she is a member of many committees both technical and strategic. She is constantly thinking of new ideas to promote dance in all its forms and was a founder member of the Rosette committee, Nationwide Committee, Examinations Board and introduced the highly successful Stardance Awards. She is actively involved with the Dance Proms, held annually at the Royal Albert Hall, a unique event to promote dance in every genre for young people. The revision of the Guy Howard technique and new DVDs has received international acclaim and she is proud to have chaired the Ballroom Faculty through the majority of its production. She cannot praise too highly the dedication shown by the faculty.

A Justice of the Peace for 35 years, she travels extensively and has many outside interests. Jane always tries to bring the right balance of skill and experience coupled with integrity and independence to Board and other meetings and contributes fully in decision making at all levels. She is open and accountable to you the members.

Lynda first entered a dance school at the age of ten and attended various classes in ballroom and theatre subjects; eight years later she took her first IDTA Associate examination. In 1991 she became an Examiner in the Ballroom Branch, giving her the opportunity to travel around the UK and overseas.

She first lectured at Congress in 1996 and has since lectured at many Area meetings. Throughout these engagements she has enjoyed meeting other dance teachers who are also working to promote dance to the general public. She has also enjoyed working, as co-author with Lyndon Wainwright, on various commercial projects including the most successful Let's Dance published by Harper Collins in 2005. Lynda's own book Let's Rock 'n' Roll was first published in 2006; this technique is used for professional examinations. Further technical publications for IDTA have since followed, including Street Dance Guide, IDTA’s first syllabus and printed publication.

She bought her dance school in 1987 and ran a very successful and busy medallist school in Essex, for more than 26 years, teaching children from the age of three through to adults of all ages and abilities. Still backed by a brilliant team of assistants, she always gets great satisfaction from teaching anyone to dance. Lynda, currently serving as a member of both the Freestyle Faculty and the Latin Faculty, enjoys the work that involves a strong commitment to the Association and its members. The opportunity to develop this involvement further came in 2005 when she was first elected to the Board of Directors. 

Anna is a Fellow, Examiner and Past President of the Association. She started her dancing career at an early age and for the first few years centred around Ballet and Stage. A deep love of Latin American and Ballroom then developed as she followed in her parents’ footsteps. Anna's roots with the Association go back to childhood days. Her father, Henry Goodall, was a founder member in the Midlands many years before the merger which created IDTA, as we know it today.

A very successful Latin American career then followed. She won many championships and was a member of the British team. She retired from the competition floor to concentrate on her school to which Anna devoted many years as a full time professional. Her studio in the West Midlands catered for many forms of dance. Anna's personal involvement included the full range of teaching from first-time beginners, all grades of medallists and competitors plus professional coaching in Ballroom, Latin American and Freestyle.

She has travelled extensively, coaching, adjudicating and lecturing at home and abroad. Anna has had many years of experience of committee work including Board of Directors since 1996 having been President for three terms of office and she has been Chairman of the IDTA Freestyle Faculty many times. During her first term as Chairman she produced the book and video entitled Freestyle Dance which has been adopted by the Association to cover this form of dance. More recently Anna has written the follow-up book Advanced Freestyle which has been widely acclaimed.

Anna also has experience of being a member of the Finance & General Purposes Committee, Overseas Development Committee and London Meeting & Congress Arrangements Committee. In 1996 and 2003 she was the proud recipient of a Carl Alan Award after being nominated by IDTA. She was also the joint recipient of the Millennium Lifetime Award for Outstanding Achievement and Continued Excellence in Freestyle Dance. Anna holds a degree in Dance Teaching and has a post graduate diploma in Medical Microbiology. She believes strongly in the future of the International Dance Teachers Association by listening to the needs of its members and embracing innovation in order to keep ahead in the ever evolving world of dance.

Phil Winston is a Fellow and Examiner of the IDTA and has served extensively on committees and faculties on behalf of the Association. He is an elected member of the Modern Jazz Technical Faculty, Conference Arrangements and Publicity Committees.

Over the years, Phil has established a reputation as a director/choreographer, travelling world-wide staging productions for theatre and television, also crossing boundaries into the world of ice-dance and figure skating, working with European and Olympic Champions.

He has been honoured to have been awarded three Carl Alan Awards; in 1998 for the Professional Contributing the Most to Dance, in 2009 the Theatre Choreographer Award and in 2013 The Choreographers Award. He was also presented Le Classique de Danse Award in 2009/2010.

Phil is principal of Theatreworks College, which was established to prepare professionals of the future. Many graduates now having successful teaching and performing careers in their own right. Phil is totally committed to IDTA and its continued growth worldwide.

Derek turned professional and opened a studio in 1962, after a very successful amateur career, winning all the major titles with his wife Beryl - with whom he celebrates 54 years of marriage this year.

During their professional careers they have worked on P&O cruises as instructors, MCs on Radio Two Ballroom, and won several inventive dance competitions in Old Time and Modern Sequence. He has organised competitions and championships for many years, and has always been dedicated to Area business.

Derek has served on the Midlands Area committee as committee member and chairman, and is the longest serving member. He is acting chairman of the Nationwide Committee, Chairman of the Sequence Faculty and IDTA delegate on the British Dance Council Sequence Advisory Committee. Derek became an IDTA examiner in 1980 and joined the board of directors about the same time.

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In 1999-2000 he was the winner of Le Classique de Danse Award, and a Carl Alan Award, he has also been awarded with the IDTA Distinguished Services Award. In 2000 he was elected president and enjoyed a very busy and fulfilling term in office. Derek enjoys coaching and adjudicating, and looks forward to having the opportunity to continue working for the members and the Association. In 2011 Derek and his wife Beryl were honoured to be presented with an American Hall of Fame Award.

With 30 years of service as an IDTA Examiner, Yvonne has a wide experience in Ballroom, Latin, Classical Sequence and Freestyle. Since the age of 17 she has taught social and medallist dancers to achieve their ambitions, and now coaches many professionals for their qualifications.

With her in-depth knowledge and teaching techniques, she has pioneered to increase the IDTA’s visibility globally by successfully establishing links in other countries. A former Chairman of the Ballroom Faculty, and current Chairman of the Latin Faculty, Yvonne is a team player - contributing new ideas whilst always taking into consideration the needs of the IDTA members and the high standards of this Association.

She contributes regularly to the Dance International Magazine with her Saunders Snippets feature. She feels strongly about developing wider communications within the IDTA, specifically the links between the Theatre and Ballroom branches. The growth, development and structure of the dance business has never been so important as at this time.