Tia Noakes Academy
Our Faculty
Tia Noakes
Founder and Principal
Tia Noakes was born in Birmingham, and is and is a versatile actress/dancer/singer. At the age of 4, Tia joined a local dance school where she won regional, national and international titles. Four years later after successfully auditioning Tia became a student for Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham. In her first senior year Tia started gaining many professional West End and TV credits including her lead role in the West End production Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (original cast) playing Veruca Salt. Tia has also featured on the royal variety performance, BBC Children in Need, Channel 4 Sound of Musicals and recorded the original London soundtrack of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In 2015, Tia was awarded the prestigious "Stage" newspaper scholarship. Shortly after Tia featured in her first feature film playing the role of "Ash" in Just Charlie. In 2016, she won the Ant and Dec full Scholarship to continue her training at Wilkes Academy of Performing Arts. Other credits include "Wanda Bishop" (BBC Docters), "Cat" (Birmingham's Dick Whittington), "Carla" (BBC's So Awkward) and "Sophie" (the new upcoming feature film Doll Factory).
Miss Susan Lucas
LISTD (Cecchetti), RBS Dip. (PDTC), Mat Pilates
Head of Ballet
Susan’s classical ballet training was with Gillian Dawson, studying the Cecchetti method before winning the Cyril Beaumont Scholarship to the Royal Ballet Upper School.
She graduated to Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet (SWRB) which relocated to become Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB). With BRB, Susan danced the principal roles of Sugar Plum Fairy (Nutcracker), Aurora and Enchanted Princess (Sleeping Beauty), Giselle, Lise (La Fille mal Gardee), Swanilda (Coppelia), Titania (The Dream), the Ballerina (Petrushka), Pineapple Poll, Symphonic Variations and the Young Girl (Two Pigeons) along with many soloist roles. She created roles in works choreographed by Kenneth Macmillan, Peter Wright, Lynne Seymour, David Bintley and Michael Corder.
Following retirement from the stage, Susan continued her lifelong passion for ballet and trained as a teacher at the Royal Ballet School, passing the Professional Dancer’s Teacher’s Diploma with Distinction. She also holds a Licentiate teacher qualification as a member of the Cecchetti Society (ISTD).
Susan has taught at Elmhurst Ballet School where she was the Principal ballet tutor for Year 8 Girls, Year 9 Girls and Boys, and 2nd year sixth Women. She teaches pointe, classical repertoire, solos, pas de deux and mat pilates. Susan co-developed and led the Cecchetti programme at Elmhurst. She taught at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts.
Currently, Susan is a freelance teacher teaching for the Royal Ballet School Associate programme, Vacani School (Marylebone Ballet, London), Demi Moore School and Tia Noakes Academy. She has a private practice coaching students in the UK, USA, Panama, Japan and Italy.
Miss Lucy
Tumbling and Dance
Lucy Is currently a level 2 Womens Artistic Gymnastics
coach, also carrying a BA (hons) in Dance from
Liverpool institute for Performing Arts. After graduating, Lucy went on to work for four and a half years as a professional dancer. Travelling and working in places such as
Turkey and Ibiza.
Miss Lauryn
SLT and Teacher
Lauryn started dancing at the age of 2 at a local dance school and trained until the age of 16 where she won many regional, national and international titles. At age 8, Lauryn successfully auditioned for Elm Hurst Ballet School in Birmingham. Four years later, Lauryn successfully received a full scholarship for Centre of Advanced training in contemporary dance at Birmingham Dance Xchange. Lauryn has made multiple appearances on BBC 5 live and Heart FM. Lauryn is now shadowing Miss Tia in her teacher training and is Miss Tia's right hand man.