Amber Murphy is a freelance dance artist based in the East Midlands. When it comes to her teaching, she’s a bit of a melting pot and that’s what she loves about it! Through childhood, Amber was incredibly fortunate to be coached and nurtured by a fabulous local ballet teacher, excelling in her exams, and participating in numerous pre-professional youth training programmes and companies. By 2021, she’d discovered her love for teaching and graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Dance Education & Community from De Montfort University, having been mentored by leading figures in both classical and contemporary dance.
Since then, she’s been committed to growing her teaching practice in every direction. Alongside opening her own school, Dance Alliance, and deepening her understanding of ballet pedagogy, Amber has trained and worked across various dance and health settings — including with dancers living with Parkinson’s, dementia, cancer, and fibromyalgia. She has delivered inclusive sessions for children and adults with SEND, and served as a regional lead artist on the National Inclusive Dance Programme.
In recent years, Amber has returned to her first love, classical ballet. She believes her two teaching worlds deeply inform each other: the tradition and standards of ballet can still be respected, but delivered with warmth, humour, and accessibility. She takes pride in upholding classical technique while creating joyful, human-centred experiences for all her dancers. From the moment Amber stepped into her first class at Lady Bay Ballet, she knew it was something special — and teaching the brilliant and committed dancers there has quickly become a highlight of her week.