SDC announce Teaching Faculty for Belfast Summer Dance Lab 2025

Six Dance Collective
Aug 5
3 min read

SDC looks forward to welcoming young dancers next week for five days of intensive workshops led by an esteemed faculty of professional dancers and choreographers.

Ruaidhrí Maguire, Amelia Clarkson and Conan McIvor.

SDC have revealed the faculty for this year’s Summer Dance Lab, returning to The MAC Belfast from 11-15 August 2025. Bringing together a powerhouse team of artists from across ballet, contemporary and musical theatre, this year’s tutors Maeve McGreevy, Dena Philpott, and Aaron Smyth, who join SDC's Ruaidhrí Maguire to offer a wide variety of training.

Together, they represent a wealth of knowledge and creativity, with backgrounds spanning major ballet companies, global performance careers, West End productions and innovative choreography. Across five days of intensive dance training, they’ll guide young dancers through a rich and challenging workshops designed to push boundaries, develop confidence, and celebrate creativity.

Aaron Smyth - Ballet

Australia’s Aaron Smyth is an internationally acclaimed Principal Guest Artist with a rich and varied career. He has performed with leading companies including The Joffrey Ballet (Chicago), American Ballet Theatre Studio Company (New York), and The Royal Ballet (London). He was also an original cast member of Christopher Wheeldon’s An American in Paris (London) and most recently portrayed Older Billy in the Australian 10th Anniversary Tour of Billy Elliot the Musical.

On screen, Aaron danced the role of the Snow Cavalier in Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, performing alongside Misty Copeland. He has appeared on both Australia’s Got Talent (placing third) and America’s Got Talent (quarterfinalist), and features in the Netflix ballet documentary First Position.

A recipient of numerous awards, Aaron was awarded the Gold Medal and Audience Choice Award at the prestigious Genée International Ballet Competition.

In addition to his performance career, Aaron is the founding director of Dance for Humanity, a nonprofit initiative using dance as a tool for empowerment and social impact. He is also a sought-after guest teacher, having taught in Singapore, across the USA and Europe. He sits on the advisory board of the Ballet Championships of America and teaches regularly for DancerPalooza.

Dena Philpott - Musical Theatre Dance

Belfast-born dance artist and performer Dena Philpott brings energy, creativity, and a wealth of experience to the studio. Most recently, she performed as Tantomile in the iconic musical CATS with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, where she also held the role of Assistant Dance Captain and featured as the lead aerialist in their production show One Sky.

A scholarship graduate of Morea Performing Arts in Cheltenham, Dena received strong, versatile training across a wide range of dance styles and musical theatre. She is also a qualified ISTD teacher in both Ballet and Modern Theatre, further reflecting her commitment to technical excellence.

Dena is passionate about inspiring the next generation of dancers and is especially excited to be working with talented young artists in her home city of Belfast.

Maeve McGreevy - Contemporary

Originally from Belfast, Maeve McGreevy is a dynamic and versatile artist working across contemporary dance, Argentine Tango, and Folklore. A graduate of London Contemporary Dance School, Maeve has built a rich and varied career performing and teaching throughout the UK, Ireland, and internationally.

She has worked d with acclaimed companies and artists including Maiden Voyage Dance, Northern Ireland Opera, Moxie Brawl, Jennifer Rooney, and Ben Duke (Lost Dog). Her Tango and Folklore work has taken her across the globe, with teaching and performance credits in New York, Buenos Aires, London, Warsaw, Helsinki, Rome, and beyond.

Maeve’s teaching style places a strong emphasis on technique to help dancers move safely, build pathways to creativity, and find the joy and fun of movement and dance.

Ruaidhrí Maguire - Choreographer

Ruaidhrí Maguire is an Irish choreographer and dancer from Moneymore.His highly athletic choreography blends fluidity with angularity to tell stories of identity, vulnerability, and strength. His work has been presented across the UK, Ireland, Canada, Poland, and Japan, with commissions from companies and institutions including Ballet Victoria, Baltic Opera Ballet, Dancer from the Dance Festival, and Q Dance Canada, where he was the inaugural Resident Artist. Most recently, he choreographed The Triumph of Music for Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller and London’s National Gallery as part of its Bicentenary celebrations.

Originally from Moneymore, Maguire is a former principal dancer with the Baltic Opera Ballet and has also performed with Milwaukee Ballet II (USA) and Ballet Victoria (Canada). He returned to Ireland in 2024 to join Ballet Ireland and is currently a Guest Artist with Cape Ballet Africa.

Ruaidhrí is deeply passionate about nurturing the next generation of dancers, exposing them to a range of artistic approaches, and supporting their development as confident, expressive performers.