Principal
Samantha Murphy LISTD, RAD RTS and DDE Tutor
Miss Sam started dancing with Stapleton School of Dancing, in Bristol UK, at age 3. At 18 she left Stapleton to attend full time training at Stella Mann College in Bedford, under the direction of Mary Breen. Upon graduation, Miss Sam achieved a Level 6 NQF in Professional Musical Theatre. She also gained her ISTD Advanced 2 Tap, Advanced 1 Modern and Intermediate Ballet as well as her F.D.I. teaching qualifications in Modern, Tap and Ballet.
Miss Sam then embarked upon her varied and successful performance career by joining the Jean Ann Ryan Production Company, a leading name in cruise ship entertainment. Within the company Miss Sam worked her way up from original cast member on the Norwegian Pearl to Dance Captain on P&O Arcadia. Miss Sam has also worked for Showstoppers Worldwide, under the direction of Paul Walsh, performing in various casinos across Europe as a company member and soloist artist. Shorter contracts included a summer dancing across Turkey and a Christmas contract in Birmingham performing a ‘Swinging Sixties’ show.
Miss Sam continued teaching and had the privilege of working at Stella Mann Lower School, Bedford; Sylvia Bebb School of Ballet and Theatre Arts, Bedford; Cork Art Studio, Cork, Ireland; Joan Denise Moriarty School of Dance (founder of Irish National Ballet) Cork, Ireland and periodically returned home to teach at Stapleton School of Dancing.
Miss Sam officially re-joined Stapleton School of Dancing full time in April 2009, when she became co-Principal. She enjoyed five wonderful years in this position and was extremely proud of the school and the highly regarded reputation it held in the area. She also returned to her studies during this time, under the direction of Judith Hockaday, and achieved the ISTD DDE qualifications in Tap, Modern, Ballet and National, as well as Advanced 2 National and Advanced 2 Modern.
Miss Sam and her husband decided to relocate to Ireland in 2014 to start their family. Three children later, Miss Sam decided it was time to get back in the studio and began working at the Helen Dunne School of Dancing in Casteldermot. Shortly after she began teaching in the Bunclody branch of the school, before taking it on completely in March 2019. Slaneyside School of Dancing was born!
Always wanting to push herself to the next level, Miss Sam became a Licentiate of the ISTD in 2019 and a tutor of their Level 4 DDE teaching qualification in 2020 (see Teacher Training Page for more info). In 2020 she also gained her Registered Teaching Status with the Royal Academy of Dance.
