ERIC ASSANDRI

Lecturer in Dance

Université de Nice: DEUG Lettres
Diplôme d’ Etat de Professeur de Danse classique
University of Leeds: PGCLTHE, FHEA, PGDLTHE
Society for Education and Training: MSET, QTLS
RAD RTS and Examiner

Additional qualifications

First Aider at Work 2022
Mental Health First Aider 2021

SilverSwans Licensee 2019

Role and responsibilities:

Module leader for Dance Techniques 2 (BA1DT2) and Dance Techniques 4 (BA3DT4)

  • Ballet
  • Rehearsal Direction
  • Academic Support

Curriculum Lead Post-Graduate Placement Scheme PPS

Who am I?

I still remember the surprise and the raised eyebrows when I asked to join a ballet class as a child. Narratives such as “Ballet is not for boys” were made to dissuade me, but this was my dream! With the full support of my family, I embarked on this fabulous journey, fighting against the prejudices to pursue a career in dance and ballet in particular.

Career History

Eric received his ballet training at the Conservatoire de Nice (1st Prize) and the Académie Princesse Grace in Monaco. He went on to work and perform in Toulon (choreo. Antonio Alvarado), Marseille (choreo. Pedro Consuegra), Toulouse (choreo. Jacques Fabre, Serge Golovine, Eddy Toussaint, Joseph Mazzini) and finally in Salzburg as a soloist (choreo. Fred Marteny, José de Udaeta, Etienne Frey, Manfred Aichinger, Krisztina Horvath, Peter Breuer). 

Eric was awarded the criticism of “beste Leistung eines Nachwuchstänzers” [best performance of a young male dancer] in Jahrbuchballett (1987).

Eric danced and toured as a guest artist in ‘Bournonville’ ballets and Pas de deux with Dinna Bjørn in Ålborg (1987), Ulm (1990) and with the soloists of the Royal Danish Ballet in Malaga (1987), Odense (1988) and Rennes (1988). He also assisted Dinna Bjørn in Bournonville’s seminars and workshops in Saratoga, NY (1987,1988,1989), Tel Aviv (1989) and Hong Kong (1990).

Later, as Ballet Master and Assistant to the Ballet Director in Salzburg, Eric led rehearsals, taught the company and assisted with restaging Peter Breuer’s choreography Peer Gynt in Klagenfurt (1994). He has also taught at SEAD in Salzburg, choreographed for schools in Austria and local communities in Germany and has become a RAD Examiner in the UK.

Professional activity

  • Royal Academy of Dance Examiner nationally and internationally
  • Staff Governor 2004-2012

Performance and research artefacts

  • Assandri, EPJ. 2019. Is ‘touching’ essential when teaching Ballet?, Research in Dance Education, 20(2):197-207 https://doi.org/10.1080/14647893.2019.1609435
  • Assandri, E (chor.) (2003), Every Man Every Woman, performance with students from das Akademishes Gymnasium, Prof. Elfi Schweiger (director), Salzburg, Austria
  • Assandri, E (chor.) (2002), Jesus Christ, performance with students from das Akademishes Gymnasium, Prof. Elfi Schweiger (director), Salzburg, Austria
  • Assandri, E (chor.) (2002), Anatevka, performance with the Audorfer Chor, Diethmar Strasser (director), Rosenheim, Germany
  • Assandri, E (chor.) (2001), Joseph, performance with students from das Akademishes Gymnasium, Prof. Elfi Schweiger (director), Salzburg, Austria
  • Assandri, E (chor.) (1999), Bagatelle, performance for Salzburg Landestheater, Salzburg, Austria
  • Assandri, E (chor.) (1999,1998), Anatevka, performance with the Audorfer Chor, Diethmar Strasser (director), Erl, Austria
  • Assandri, E (chor.) (1998), Anders, performance for SEAD, Salzburg, Austria
  • Assandri, E (chor.) (1997,1996), Joseph, performance with the Audorfer Chor, Diethmar Strasser (director), Erl, Austria
  • Introduction to Creating Dance Classes for Older Learners with Parkinson’s Disease, 2020
  • Royal Academy of Dance, Conference: 5th – 9th January 2017, London
  • Research Project Lecture Presentation at Dance HE Conference: Sustaining the discipline, 29th October 2016, Leeds, UK
  • Certa, Access to HE, Standardisation – Culture 4th March 2014, Wakefield