Mandy Chapman

Head Judge

Mandy Chapman is a Fellow of the Imperial Society of Teachers of
Dancing, one of the three Heads of International Judging for Dance
World Cup and a Judge Team Leader. She has been connected to
DWC for over 15 years.

In addition to her judging and leadership roles, Mandy leads Teacher
Q&A sessions for DWC.  Delivered at country qualifiers, guest visits
and at the Finals, these sessions draw on her extensive knowledge of
the event to offer clear, practical guidance for teachers and studios
entering the competition. A highly experienced multi-genre judge,
Mandy is the author and co-author of a number of DWC’s genre
descriptors, contributing to the clarity and consistency of adjudication
across the competition.

Mentoring and talent development sit at the heart of Mandy’s work.
Widely recognised for her ability to identify potential and shape
progression, she works with dancers as they move towards
professional careers, attracting aspiring artists from across the UK
and overseas at key stages of their progression. As former Principal
of Glendale Theatre Arts until its closure in 2022, she guided students
who now work professionally across stage and screen, including
smash-hit West End productions, major TV series and films, and is
widely sought after for the experienced insight she offers.

Mandy has choreographed extensively for professional and amateur
theatre, pantomime and UK summer seasons, and internationally,
including projects in the USA with performances at Disneyland,
California. Recent credits include consulting on a new
musical, Barista, choreographed by Pasha Kovalev, and directing a
full production of Come From Away. In 2025, drawing on her extensive
background and love of all things ‘triple threat’, she was instrumental
in the creation of Dance World Cup’s Musical Theatre
project, Showstoppers, introducing Stephen Mear and Ruthie
Henshall to the incredible event that is the DWC Finals and helping to
shape the musical theatre focus.

Rachel Jackson

Rachel has had a truly international career in dance, choreography and pedagogy, and
more recently as an examiner and accredited competition judge.
As a young professional, Rachel worked in South Korea and Japan, performing ballet,
national, tap, jazz and modern. Rachel then returned to Europe, and Germany became her
home. It was in Germany that her love of pedagogy developed, as she worked in ballet
schools and later founded her own vocational courses for dancers and teachers.

From 1996-2005, she choreographed such diverse delights such as an Irish dance show,
named ‘Magic of the Dance’, ‘Nonsense’ and the ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ among others.
Then in 2003, Rachel began to train formally as an examiner in classical ballet for the
Royal Academy of Dance®, and she once again began to travel the globe in this capacity.

She is now a Trustee for the RAD and has added a Master’s Degree in Teaching Classical
Ballet from the Palucca University of Dance, in Dresden to her impeccable curriculum.
Consequently, she receives many invitations to coach children and young artists in many
holiday masterclasses and courses from Europe to China.

However, Rachel does not limit herself to just teaching the pupils, she believes in
mentoring their teachers, and encouraging more holistic methods. She has embraced
Zoom as a means to reach her receptive audience, and is the ‘creative mind’ behind “The
Dance Teachers Forum”.

Another important area of her professional life is Rachel’s willingness to serve the dance
competition community both as qualified adjudicator but also providing invaluable input
to organisations. Since 2022, Dance World Cup has appreciated the depth of Rachel’s
knowledge across many modalities and age-ranged performance expectations as part of
the international panel of judges. Indeed, Rachel has accepted an invitation to participate
on the DWC Advisory Panel to help shape regulations and judging criteria, and now
fulfils the role of Head of International Judging for DWC.

Monica Petrică

Prim solistă a Operei Naționale București din anul 1993, Monica Petrică a absolvit cursuri de perfecționare la Atlanta Ballet Company SUA, cu profesorii Stanislas Issaev și Robert Barner. A terminat Universitatea Națională de Artă Teatrală și Cinematografică „I.L. Caragiale” fiind licențiată în Artele Spectacolului (secția coregrafie). În cadrul Studioului Experimental al Operei Naționale Bucu­rești, Monica Petrică a luat parte la cursurile de specializare prin proiectul StudiOpera, program în parteneriat cu Teatrul Scala. Este laureată a Concursului Internațional de Dans Contemporan de la Paris, a primit Premiul al III-lea la Concursul Internațional de Dans Clasic și Contemporan „Oleg Danovski“ de la Constanța și a avut numeroase colaborări cu Teatrul Odeon din capitală.

De-a lungul carierei, Monica Petrică a participat la diverse gale și festivaluri: Festivalul Opera Estate și Festivalul Veneto Bassano del Groppa, Săptămâna Teatrului Românesc (Madrid) Festivalul Culturii Româneşti (Poznan), Festivalul Internațional de Teatru (Sibiu), Festivalul Internaţional de Operă, Operetă şi Balet (Braşov), Festivalul Naţional de Teatru (Bucureşti), Gala Extraordinară a Dansului (București), Festivalul de Teatru (Piatra Neamț), Zilele Tangoului Argentinian (Timișoara).

Spectacolele „Când Isadora dansa”, „Un tango mas” și „Block Bach” (Teatrul Odeon) ocupă un loc special în sufletul Monicăi Petrică, la fel ca și Urban Kiss (Teatrul Național de Operetă și Muzical „Ion Dacian”), Răzvan Mazilu&Ladies (Teatrelli) și Răzvan Mazilu&Friends (Opera Națională București). Tot la ONB a realizat coregrafia spectacolului „I Pagliacci” în regia lui Ion Caramitru.

Monica Petrică a făcut parte din juriul binecunoscutei emisiuni Tv „România Dansează”.
A fost invitată să colaboreze în proiecte precum „Carmina Burana” (UNITER), „Homo Faber” (film în regia lui Liviu Efrimov), „Omul zilei” (film în regia lui Dan Pița), „One man show” (eveniment susținut la Palatul Cotroceni, în coregrafia Adinei Cezar), „Pescărușul” (Festivalul „George Enescu”, coregraf Ioan Tugearu) și „Sheherezada” (Compania de dans clasic şi contemporan „Oleg Danovski”).

Repertoriul său este alcătuit din rolurile: Anna – „La Sylphide” de Herman Severin Løvenskiold, coregrafia: Johan Kobborg, adaptare după August Bournonville, Carabosse – „Frumoasa din pădurea adormită” de P.I. Ceaikovski, coregrafia: Alexa Mezincescu, Fortuna – „Carmina Burana” de Carl Orff, coregrafia: Alexa Mezincescu, Fata cu ofrande – „Coppélia” de Léo Delibes, coregrafia: Anton Romanovski, Oleg Danovski, Dans arab – „Spărgătorul de nuci” de P.I. Ceaikovski, coregrafia: Alexa Mezincescu, Gudula – „Notre Dame de Paris” (colaj muzical), coregrafia: Ioan Tugearu, Tverskaia – „Anna Karenina” (muzica: P.I. Ceaikovski), coregrafia: Ioan Tugearu, Syrinx – „Daphnis şi Chloé” de Maurice Ravel, coregrafia: Gelu Barbu, Nimfa – „Preludiu la după-amiaza unui faun” de Claude Debussy, coregrafia: Alexa Mezincescu, Ea – „Bolero” de Maurice Ravel, coregrafia: Tilde Urseanu, Madame de la Molle – „Roşu şi Negru” de Livia Teodorescu-Ciocănea, coregrafia: Alexa Mezincescu, „Fuga, Marea fugă” (colaj muzical), coregrafia: Ioan Tugearu, Mama – „Casanova” (colaj muzical), coregrafia: Monica Fotescu Uță, Regina – „Albă ca Zăpada şi cei şapte pitici” de Cornel Trăilescu, coregrafia: Francisc Valkay, Angustias – „Casa Bernardei Alba” (colaj muzical), coregrafia: Ioan Tugearu, Titania – „Visul unei nopţi de vară” de Virgil Popescu, coregrafia: Marc Bogaerts, Romola, Moartea – „Nijinski – cealaltă față a geniului”, coregrafia: Mălina Andrei.

A efectuat turnee în: Anglia, Ungaria, Ierusalim, Cehia, Italia, Taiwan, Japonia, China, Ungaria, Grecia, Belgia.

Teodora Lazuran

Elena Teodora Lazuran – Dance Teacher / Personal Trainer

Extremely passionate individual with a love for dance that goes beyond the coaching experience. Professional and creative,
very dedicated and hard working in developing children from young age into becoming professionals in various areas of
sports and dance. The inventiveness, ability of working under the stress, the pleasure of learning in order to be up to date
with the latest news concerning the dance, gymnastics & fitness makes Teodora have an original approach in terms of
training and development during her coaching program. As athlete since age 6, she has been achieving over 25+ world
championship titles, 16+ vice-champions, 50+ Romanian championship titles, 11 Hungarian championships titles at various
dance categories.

With all her results and fame, her humbleness, positivity, and happiness while teaching is contagious.
Now looking for a place which will make best use of my existing skills and experience and also further my professional
work while developing children to achieve their dance results and dreams.
• Strong abilities in ballet, acrobatic gymnastics, rhytmic gymnastics, modern dance, show-dance
• Personal Training, Group Fitness (Yoga, Pilates, Zumba, HIT etc.), Cheerleading, Physical Education, Sports
Coaching, Program Development, Physiology Knowledge, Childcare, Organizational Skills, Curriculum
Development, Fundraising Program Design, Mentoring & Tutoring

CORE COMPETENCIES

Coaching experience ⧫ Stretching experience ⧫ Wellness coaching ⧫ Human Anatomy knowledge ⧫
Health and wellness expert ⧫ Extensive knowledge of health and wellness ⧫ Dedicated ⧫ Responsible
Client Relationships ⧫ Administration ⧫ Communication ⧫ Organization ⧫ Time Management ⧫ Attention to Detail
Scheduling ⧫ Document Preparation ⧫ Marketing ⧫ Customer Service ⧫ Leadership ⧫ Solution Formulation

⧫ Innovation, Creativity ⧫ Recruiting, Hiring ⧫ Event Management

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
⧫ National recognized professional Rhythmic Gymnastics athlete for 12 years
⧫ 10 Romanian National Title
⧫ Member of the Rhythmic Gymnastics Olympic team: 1985-1988
⧫ Master of Sports in Rhythmic Gymnastics – 1989
⧫ Rhythmics Gymnastic coach from 17 years
⧫ National Rhythmics Gymnastic judge for 17 years
⧫ International recognized dance teacher from 2005 – present
⧫ 25+ World Champion titles
⧫ 16+ Vice W Champion titles
⧫ 50+ Romanian Champion titles
⧫ 11 Hungarian titles

EXPERIENCES

ARS NOVA DANCE STUDIO, Miami, FL August 2022 –September 2023
FOUNDER/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/DANCE TEACHER/CHOREOGRAPHER
⧫ Class preparation and lesson planning to match the skill and learning levels of all participants
⧫ Overseeing class check ins, overseeing basic record keeping
⧫ Coaching students through a progressive manner
⧫ Organizing and following class plans and tracking student progress
⧫ Helping with day-to-day operations of summer camp program such as: assisting in check-in procedures, monitoring
snack time and game time, communicating with parents during pick-up time, etc.

⧫ Tracking progress and maintaining communication with CEO
⧫ Working with other instructors to ensure productivity in your classes
⧫ Organizing and setting up events at the facility

MADYS DANCE FACTORY, Miami, FL June 2021 – December 2021
Acrobatics, Flexibility and Technics Coach
⧫ Ongoing support to the CEO/Founder of the company
⧫ Class preparation and lesson planning to match the skill and learning levels of all participants
⧫ Overseeing class check ins, overseeing basic record keeping
⧫ Coaching students through a progressive manner
⧫ Organizing and following class plans and tracking student progress
⧫ Helping with day-to-day operations of summer camp program such as: assisting in check-in procedures,
monitoring snack time and game time, communicating with parents during pick-up time, etc.
⧫ Tracking progress and maintaining communication with CEO
⧫ Working with other instructors to ensure productivity in your classes
⧫ Organizing and setting up events at the facility

ARS NOVA DANCE ACADEMY, Oradea, BH, Romania October 2005 – present
FOUNDER/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/DANCE TEACHER/CHOREOGRAPHER
⧫ Developand follow lesson plans
⧫ Teach all style dance classes
⧫ Always ensure student safety and supervision of students
⧫ Oversee student sign in sheets, assist with assessments
⧫ Participate in Staff development, weekly meetings, and evaluations
⧫ Assist to establish and maintain an environment of physical and emotional safety based on respect at all levels
⧫ Maintain equipment and ensure it is available and in good working condition
⧫ Assist with recruitment, retention, and engagement
⧫ Keeps track of student’s punctuality and participation in sessions
⧫ Partnership and relationship development
⧫ Monitor and quality control of services
⧫ Serve as youth role model through a positive mentorship relationship

ARS NOVA FITNESS CENTER, Oradea, BH, Romania May 2005 – March 2021
FOUNDER/ CEO/ PERSONAL TRAINER/GROUP FITNESS
⧫ Oversee gym functionality from Sales to Operations, enforce policies & procedures
⧫ Interview, hire, train, and manage Front Desk, Maintenance, and MODs to brand standards – assist departments in
developing schedules and ensuring adherence to payroll budgets
⧫ Drive membership sales
⧫ Schedule and participate in networking/community events
⧫ Oversee and complete staff performance evaluations annually
⧫ Adhere to monthly ordering timeline and supply budgets
⧫ Ensure a high-level of customer service to club members
⧫ Awareness of monthly departmental goals and monthly projections
⧫ Ensure the club is following proper Risk Management and Loss Prevention procedures – Monitor safety and
security of club
⧫ Provides group fitness instruction, monitors, educates staff on fitness and safety.
⧫ Instruction of staff on effective workout methods; explains proper techniques and demonstrates modified
exercises/choreography.
⧫ Prepares appropriate equipment, choreography, and music.
⧫ Teaches scheduled classes, beginning and ending on time; provides adequate warm-up, exercises, stretching, and
cool down.
⧫ Advises participants on program and class procedures and policies, as appropriate.
⧫ Administer fitness evaluations, orientations, stretching and personal training sessions

⧫ Establish and maintain a personal training client base according to company standards
⧫ Provide a high level of personalized attention to members
⧫ Maintain knowledge and/or participation in all club services, programs, and products
⧫ Instruct and demonstrate to members on the proper use of equipment and exercise techniques
⧫ Provide each member and potential member with the best quality customer service
⧫ Adjust and operate all fitness equipment

ARS NOVA EVENTS, Oradea, BH, Romania May 1997 – Present
FOUNDER/ CEO
⧫ Schedule and facilitate planning and execution of Ars Nova events.
⧫ Communicate and execute event timelines
⧫ Possess outstanding organizational skills and attention to detail
⧫ Uphold excellent verbal and written communication to guest and management team members.
⧫ Answer and process all guest requests

“BIHORUL “SPORTS HIGH SCHOOL, Oradea, BH, Romania September 1991 – September 2005
Rhythmic Gymnastics Coach
⧫ Various duties according to the season
⧫ Observe and recruit new gymnast for our competition team
⧫ Plan, organize and conduct the practice and competition season
⧫ Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the gymnasts in order to push each gymnast to accomplish her best
⧫ Responsible for physical conditioning for our gymnasts

EDUCATION & RECOGNITION
Global Alliance Indian Yoga Certification 200 h – 2020

European Aquatic Association – EAA Instructor MOD 1-2-3 Small and advanced equip – 2015

European Aquatic Association – EAA Master Trainer – 2015

Group Fitness and Personal Trainer Certificate – Ars Nova SRL, Oradea, RO – 2012

Trainer – Doctus SRL, Sibiu RO – 2012
Zumba Instructor Certification: B1, B2, KIDS, AQUA – 2010

Bachelor’s degree, Faculty of Sports and Physical Education “Vasile Goldis”, Arad, Romania – 2005
Rhythmic Gymnastics Coach, National Center for Training and Professional Development of Coaches, Bucharest, RO –

1993

COREOGRAPHER/TEACHER RESULTS 2007 -2019

2019 FREEDOM DANCE FESTIVAL– BUDAPEST HUNGARY
Open category
1st place, solo petite
1st place, group children
2nd place, solo petite
3rd place, solo petite
Lyrical
1st place, group petite
1st place, solo petite
1st place, solo junior
Acrobatic dance
1st place, solo children
2nd place, solo petite
3rd place, solo petite
3rd place, solo children

Lyrical
1st place, solo petite
Special Prizes
BEST FEMALE DANCER, BEST MALE DANCER, OVERAL HIGH SCORE GROUP, OVERAL HIGH SCORE SOLO
2019 BUCHAREST DANCE FESTIVAL – BUCHAREST ROMANIA
Open category
1st place, quartet children
1st place, group mini
Contemporary Modern
1st place, quartet children
1st place, solo children
1st place, solo children
1st place, solo junior
2nd place, solo children
Overall Score
Best Female dancer Nominalization
Acrobatic dance category
1st place, solo mini
1st place, solo children
1st place, solo junior
2nd place, solo children
Overall High Score
BEST MALE DANCER
Lyrical
1st place, solo petite
2019 DANCE FEST NOVISAD – NOVI SAD SERBIA
Acro Dance
1st place, solo children
Contemporary Modern
1st place, solo children
2nd place, solo junior
Acrobatic dance category
2nd place, solo mini
Best Solo Dancer
Open
4th place, solo mini
2019 YOUNG AMERICA GRAND PRIX – CATTOLICA ITALY
Contemporary Modern
Top 12, solo children
2019 YOUNG ARTIST GRAND PRIX – BUCHAREST ROMANIA
Jazz
1st place, solo children
1st place, solo junior
Acrobatic dance
1st place, solo children
1st place, solo junior
2nd place, solo junior
Lyrical
1st place, solo children
1st place, solo junior
Open
1st place, group mini

BEST MALE DANCER
2018 DANCESTAR CROATIA – POREC CROATIA
Open category
1st place, group mini
3rd place, solo children
Contemporary Modern
1st place, group children
Acrobatic dance category
4th place, solo mini
2018 DANCESTAR ROMÂNIA – CLUJ NAPOCA ROMANIA
Open category
1st place, group mini
1st place, solo children
Contemporary Modern
1st place, group children
Acrobatic dance category
2nd place, solo mini
2018 FREEDOM DANCE FESTIVAL – ORADEA ROMANIA
Open category
1st place, group mini
Contemporary Modern
1st place, group children
2017 BUCHAREST DANCE FESTIVAL BUCHAREST ROMANIA
Open category
2nd place, solo children

LANGUAGES
-English
-Romanian (Native)