Meet the Team

Dominique Baker

Born in Bristol and based in Brighton, Dominique joined the team in 2023; firstly working with Carla in the South West and then setting up a MyBallet classes in Brighton.

Dominique has danced since she was three.  With certification up to Advanced Level 1 RAD, she graduated in 2019 from Trinity Laban Conservatoire for Music & Dance with a First Class degree in Contemporary Dance.

Post-graduation, Dominique spend three years in India where she was able to develop her practice through dance, yoga and breathwork.  She also spent time creating, performing and facilitating.  She performed in original works by international dance artists and collaborated on a variety of original and multidisciplinary works as a choreographer and performer.

She has worked as a teacher and facilitator in both India and the UK, leading dance and creative movement workshops, and teaching ballet and contemporary dance to a range of ages. She is also a certified yoga teacher and has been developing a practice that mixes yoga with dance, floorwork and movement meditation. She draws from her experience in various movement practices and somatic methodologies in her teaching.

For Dominique, being a MyBallet tutor feels like a very organic fusing of her own knowledge with the holistic approach used at MyBallet. She welcomes having learnt how ballet can be used in a therapeutic way, with classes that can be tailored to suit different individuals and which can incorporate a variety of approaches depending on class needs.

“I have really enjoyed combining my love of ballet with my passion for movement for wellness, while getting to collaborate with a wonderful team of dance teachers. I am a firm believer in the power of movement for mental, physical and emotional wellbeing and am so excited to be growing the MyBallet community in Brighton!”

Salud Botella

Born in Spain, and now based in south-west England, Salud was eight years old when she insisted that her mother enrol her in the local dance school.

As Salud’s love affair with dance grew she successfully auditioned for the Oficial School of Dramatic Art and Dance in Valencia (now called the Conservatori Superior de Dansa de València Nacho Duato) where she began classes in the centuries-old folk styles that were being revived in Spain at the time.   A year later, she also took up ballet, later incorporating spanish classical, contemporary, latin, and, above all, flamenco into her wide-ranging dance repertoire.

Whilst living in Valencia Salud embraced the vibrant musical and artistic scene that thrives in the city to develop her dance skills.  She trained with some of the greats of flamenco, including Javier de la Torre and Belén Maya, eventually extending her training to Madrid and elsewhere. She has performed all over Spain, as well as in France, Turkey and the UK.

In 2013 she moved to the UK and settled in Bridport, Dorset where she began teaching and performing flamenco alongside ‘step latin’, a keep-fit routine based around a wide variety of Hispanic rhythms. She has been part of the MyBallet teaching team since 2022.

“Helping our dancers to express themselves and grow their dance skills is very rewarding.  To dance is to be liberated and it is such a pleasure to see the focus, commitment and delight in movement that our dancers manifest every week.” 

Fiona Harvey

A dancer since the age of three, Fiona’s passion for dance began when she started ballet classes at her local village dance school.

At the age of 11, Fiona successfully auditioned for the Royal Ballet School. Whilst there she completed all her Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) exams, receiving Honours for the Advanced examination.  In her graduation year Fiona performed with The Royal Ballet Company in their productions of Swan Lake, Coppelia, Nutcracker, La Fille Mal Gardee, Don Quixote and Bayedere.

Fiona then became a professional dancer, touring with Images Company throughout the UK and dancing in the film Pride and Prejudice.

In 2011 Fiona completed the Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies with the RAD and in the same year began teaching for The Royal Ballet School on their Associate programme. She has over 15 years of experience of teaching in a variety of settings.

In 2021 Fiona joined the MyBallet team, firstly as a teacher and more recently to support Carla in expanding our dancers’ experience and skills.  She offers regular, and very popular, workshops that focus on the classical ballets and techniques she loves and knows so well.

Fiona is thrilled with her MyBallet journey, which complements her ongoing horticultural career.

“It is a privilege to be able to share my experience with the MyBallet community through the workshops we run.  Attendees always demonstrate a passion to learn and it is wonderful to see them develop new ways to express themselves.”

Ele Hodgson

Ele she started dancing aged three and has never stopped.  Today she combines her role as a MyBallet facilitator with other key threads of her life: being a dance fitness instructor; a clinical specialist in Neurology & neuro rehab; and an occupational therapist (BSc 1st class honours).

Ele’s dance journey began with modern and tap, moving to competitive rhythmic gymnastics, street jazz, combination, jazz & lyrical jazz before eventually falling in love with the art of Ballet in her mid-twenties.

Growing up in London, Ele danced throughout her life, taking six to seven adult classes a week at Pineapple and Dance Worx whilst training and working as an occupational therapist.

Following a move to Somerset she attended her first MyBallet class and immediately felt a sense of belonging to an inspiring and inclusive space.   She was thrilled to be invited to join the team in delivering judgement-free ballet classes always set to beautiful music.   Nearly a decade later Ele continues to feel privileged to be part of MyBallet team and partner with such inspiring people.

“Discovering MyBallet was transformational. I immediately felt part of a community and loved the calmness and grounding that it delivered to my very busy life; first as a class member and later as a teacher and facilitator of others who love to dance.”

Christine Wylde

Christine Wylde leads MyBallet classes held on Zoom. With over 40 years teaching experience and her own dance studio in Johannesburg, South Africa, Christine is a Registered Teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD Ballet) and a teaching member of the Association of International Dance Teachers (AIDT Modern).

Christine has been passionate about dance since the age of seven.  She studied classical ballet with Helen MacBride and Modern Dance with Anna Nell.  Over the years she has choreographed and staged numerous dance productions with her students and has supported many school productions in her local community.  She is a dance festival adjudicator and an assessor for dance tests with the National Society of Dance Teachers in South Africa.

Christine believes dance is a constantly evolving art form and as a teacher, she never stops learning.  Whilst classical ballet remains the foundation of her teaching, she loves exploring new ways to show expression through movement.

“I continue to be inspired by the commitment and dedication of my students. We share a love of dance and as such become a Dance family.  Working on Zoom as a MyBallet teacher for the past four years has been an uplifting and inspiring journey which I look forward to continuing.”

Carla Steenkamp Sheills

Artistic Director

The power of expression that dance offers has always been precious to Carla, who started her ballet journey at the age of six when she enrolled with the Helen McBride School of Dance in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Carla successfully auditioned for full time ballet school – at the time called The Johannesburg School for Art, Ballet and Music – and here she studied classical ballet, anatomy, flamenco and classical Greek dance.  At the age of 18 she auditioned successfully for the PACT ballet company in Pretoria, South Africa but decided not to pursue a performance career and instead started working in the film industry.

Following a permanent move to the UK, Carla went back to her dance roots and studied Dance Movement Therapy through the Dance Voice Therapy Centre at the University of the West of England.  Here the curriculum included the power of somatic movement – all key elements in the Susara Holistic Ballet Method that she later developed.   Once graduated, Carla worked primarily in women’s mental and physical health groups, whilst also running creative dance workshops in schools.

Building on both her dance and therapy backgrounds, Carla founded MyBallet in 2010. She wanted to make ballet accessible and unlock the right of every individual to express themselves through movement.  Her pioneering holistic approach makes ballet accessible, beneficial and joyful for adults of all abilities.

From one class in Winsham in Somerset, MyBallet has expanded to cover a growing number of locations in the South West of England as well as being available online through Zoom.

In 2015, Carla commissioned ‘Let me Dance’ – a five-minute feature film that focuses in on the women who attend MyBallet classes.  The film went viral as viewers celebrated the joy in movement of the women it featured – women who would not normally be thought of as ballet dancers.  The powerful response to the film affirmed the success of the Susara Holistic Ballet Method that Carla has pioneered and it generated interested from ballets schools and individuals across the world.

Today MyBallet represents a thriving ballet community where people can feel safe in their minds and bodies and enjoy the benefits of dance.  It continues to go from strength to strength driven by Carla’s passion for dance, her mentoring approach and the skills of her teaching team.

“I believe that everyone can express themselves through movement. In My Ballet classes there is no pressure to perform or be compared with others.  We celebrate people’s differences and their individuality – and actively encourage our dancers to adapt the classical ballet method to suit their own unique body. It is a joy and a privilege to share their experiences.”