Meet the Creative Directors

  • Creative Director

    Annika Drennan is a seasoned professional in all things dance. She has been in the industry as a student from age 6, a competitive dancer from age 6, an amateur performer from age 10 and a full time creative and teacher from age 19.

    Annika is the creative director of Ajendance NI and one of the Directors of Irelands biggest dance events & Resourse 5678 Elite Dance Competitions Ltd. She has guided her dancers past and present towards World Championship winning results, professional performances and show creation, successful audition applications for higher education in the arts and so much more.

    Her passion for creation is infectious and all she wants for all her students and clients is to bring out their true potential and help them feel confident in their own abilities as young performers.

    Annika and business partner Clare have a strong want to Educate everyone in healthy body and healthy mind techniques and will do everything they can to help their students become Inspired and Creative during their time at Ajendance.

    "If we work together to lift one another we can become unstoppable"

  • Creative Director

    Clare started her formal training at 10 years old with Bright Lights Dance Group. Since then she has worked with Ulster Youth Dance, Ulster Theatre Company, Belvoir Players, Opera Northern Ireland and New Lyric Operatic Company.

    Clare trained in Performing Arts for 2 years at Belfast Met College, she also trained in RAD Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Irish, Highland, Drama, LMC Singing and more recently ISTD classical Ballet.

    Clare joined Ajendance in 2011 as a pupil and then alongside Annika introduced Ballet, Tap and Modern genres to the Ajendance timetable.

    She has performed in many different venues around the UK and Ireland Ulster Hall, The Lyric Theatre, Grand Opera House and Bristol Hippodrome to name a few.

    Ajendance is Clare’s second home and she loves nothing more than seeing the pupils growing in confidence, strength and ability. Introducing new techniques Alixa Flexibility, Progressing Ballet Technique and Acrobatic Arts has seen the dancers soar over the past few years.

    Clare loves to see the dancers grow and watch their dance journeys evolve. Watching her pupils perform in professional events/shows across the UK and Ireland gives Clare the greatest sense of pride.

Meet the team

Kerry Mcdowell

Commercial & Street Dance

Kerry Mcdowell

Commercial & Street Dance

Ellie Ruddy

Lyrical & Jazz

Diane Montgomery

ISTD Ballet & Tap

Rhys Devlin

Street Dance, Creative Movement & Musical Theatre

Adam Gillian

Singing & Acting Coach

Bethanie Hamilton

Teaching Assistant

Inspire Create Educate