2026 World Finals Judge
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.
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.