WHO ARE WE?

The LCI Dance Centre was brought to life by Gemma Penfold in 2017.

The letters LCI stand for Love, Create, Inspire - a motto that motivates the school and teaching style. The aim of the school is to help build a rock solid sense of self belief and confidence in all our children, one step at a time, through the magic of dance.

Our high quality dance classes are specifically tailored to each age group and child's progress.

MEET THE TEAM...

Gemma Penfold

Director/Principal Teacher

Gemma has been dancing since the age of 2. Over the years, she has trained in Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Latin American, Ballroom, Disco, National and Contemporary.

At the age of 17 she was offered a place at the Lillian McNeill School of Dance as a Full Time student and, after 3 years, graduated with vocational exams in the Scottish Dance Teachers Alliance (SDTA), Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (ISTD) and Royal Academy of Dance (RAD). She also gained her teaching qualifications with the Scottish Dance Teachers Alliance (SDTA).

Gemma has enjoyed performing in many Musicals at the Kings Theatre and Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow with The Apollo Players, over the years. She has also had experience dancing in music videos, at sporting events and modelling.

After college, she went on to perform in various countries as a professional dancer before landing her dream job as a Showgirl for Carnival Cruise Lines. For the following 11 years she was based in the USA and traveled the world with the cruise line performing Las Vegas and Broadway style shows before retiring from the performing world in 2014.

Gemma has completed her Module 1 teaching certification with Acrobatic Arts. She has also become a qualified iD-Company teacher in the genres of Contemporary, Hip Hop and Musical Theatre.

Gemma is proud to present the LCI Dance Centre and pass on her biggest passion to a new generation of dancers. LCI stands for Love, Create, Inspire - a motto that motivates the school and teaching style. She hopes to inspire and build confidence in the children and create a positive community that the children and parents can become part of.

John McGlone

Musical Theatre/Vocal Coach

John is a very welcome addition to the LCI team. He has around 20 years experience in the business and started his journey into the world of showbiz when he found his incredible voice at the age of 16.

Since then, John has inspired many children and adults with his wonderful teaching methods that work, not only on the voice, but on the confidence behind the voice too. His talents were utilised at Glasgow Kelvin College where he lectured before leaving and creating his own company - JM Theatricals.

As the founder and artistic director of JM Theatricals, John has produced over 30 shows including Little Shop of Horrors, Footloose, Jesus Christ Superstar, Oliver! and Songs for a New World. The company has seen massive growth recently and is now a leader in providing Tribute Acts, Drag Artists and Cabaret Performers across the UK.

John has also enjoyed a variety of lead roles in many shows and concerts, both in Scotland and on tour across the UK. Being a triple threat (Singer, Actor, Mover), he was hired by P&O Cruises to deliver award winning shows onboard their ships.

John is delighted to be sharing his knowledge with our students and thrilled to be part of the LCI family. We are grateful to have him on the team!

Sammy-Jo Blakemore

Commercial Jazz/Musical Theatre

We are delighted to have Sammy-Jo join the LCI family. She trained in dance from the young age of 2 here in Helensburgh. Her love and knowledge of dance and theatre was expanded when she began performing with the Apollo Players Theatre Group in Glasgow as she got the chance to perform in iconic venues like the Kings and Pavilion Theatre.

To further her training she attended Anniesland College in Glasgow where she gained her HND as a Dance Artist. During this time Sammy-Jo was picked to represent the Eutopia programme and travelled to Portugal as part of a team.

Sammy-Jo continued her dance education and graduated in 2017 from one of the UK's top performing arts schools, London Studio Centre, from their Jazz Co Company, after a very successful tour.

Not long after graduation Sammy-Jo was offered a contact at Disneyland Paris! Whilst there, she was able to make hundreds of children’s dreams come true, performing as some of our much loved princesses. Sammy-Jo was lucky enough to be part of the opening casts of the Starlight Princess Waltz’s and 25th anniversary parade. She also performed in the season of Pirate and Princess, and Mickeys Halloween Season. She also had the opportunity to be a Mouseketeer and took part in dancing with characters on parade.

Sammy-Jo is excited to be part of the LCI team and can’t wait to meet you all!

Greg Penfold

Adult Ballroom and Latin

Greg comes to us from the beautiful country of New Zealand and started his dancing career at the age of 16. Greg was originally a Ballroom and Latin dancer, participating in, and winning, many competitions over his 7 years on the circuit.

He then took an interest in Musical Theatre, performing in West Side Story, Evita and 42nd Street with the semi-professional New Zealand theatre group - Showbiz Christchurch.

After this, Greg moved to Wellington to study dance at the Wellington Performing Arts Centre. Here he took classes in Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Contemporary and Theatre to enhance his dancing skills.

Greg was soon offered a contract with Carnival Cruise Lines and headed off to America to enjoy a very successful 12 year career which included being selected to join the Inaugural cast on the Carnival Valor - quite the privilege .

Greg is delighted to be our resident Ballroom and Latin teacher, sharing his love of dance with our Adults in our weekly classes.