DUNCAN STUDIO OF CELTIC DANCE
Our Studio
At the Duncan Studio of Celtic Dance we give all persons of any age and gender the opportunity to learn the exhilarating dance forms of Irish Dancing and Highland Dancing for fun or to compete.
Our dancers are as passionate and as dedicated as their teachers and our extensive teaching experience affords our dancers the opportunity to learn and participate at the highest level. Our commitment to competitions both locally and abroad means that our dancers are exposed to their counterparts from around the country and in some cases to the world’s best Irish and Highland dancers.
Irish Dancing: The exciting international appearances of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance have revived this highly energetic dance form bringing it to the fore in South Africa. Our many years of experience in teaching this art of dancing, our passion for it and nurturing our dancers from a young age, has resulted in our studio being recognised both locally and internationally, with many accolades awarded to our dancers. To read all about our achievements, go to our Competitions and Exams page.
Highland dancing is best known for its traditional dance routines such as the Sword Dance and the Highland Fling. All studio dancers are formally trained in the traditional methods of Highland dance technique in which they compete and grade enabling them to perform the full range of traditional dances. Dancers are also encouraged to test their creative flair in choreographing special exhibition items of a more contemporary nature and attire and this often provides an interesting deviation from the swirl of the traditional kilted performance.
Our Teachers
Sue Theron (Founder)
Sue has always had a love and passion for dance but was only afforded the opportunity of beginning lessons at the age of 12 years. Being focussed and dedicated from the start, Sue competed successfully over numerous years winning many medals and section trophies in various competitions nationally. She also worked steadily through all her Highland grade examinations culminating in her taking her first professional Highland exam in 1983.
A succession of other professional Highland exams followed as well as the solo and ceili dance teaching and adjudication qualifications in Irish dance and today Sue holds the following international dance qualifications: Member SDTA (Scottish Dance Teachers Alliance) Scotland and TCRG/ADCRG An Comisiún le Rincí Gaelacha (CLRG), Ireland.
Sue’s love of teaching and nurturing her dancers, is where her passion lies.
Bernard van der Kuil
Bernard danced under Sue’s guidance for 5 years before sitting his TCRG in 2015. During his time as a competitive dancer, he travelled abroad to compete at The All Ireland’s (2010 and 2011 both in Killarney), All Scotland’s (2014 and 2015 in Glasgow) and World Championships (2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015 in Dublin, Boston, London, and Montreal respectively) numerous times.
Bernard is a two-time South African Champion and has recalled at major championships and competitions. He and Sue have since accompanied dancers to numerous competitions both locally and abroad. Bernard is passionate about movement, fitness and building resilience and confidence in the dancers he works with. He believes that the discipline and hard work ethic learnt during hours of practice can be directly translated into a mindset used while navigating the world we live in today.