 Introduced to the world of competitive dance at the age of 13, by his brother Bruce Richardson (currently Dancesport coach for Oxford University) Xavier was trained by Bill Phillips and has been qualified with the IDTA since 1976. The principal teacher with Cafe Society in Leicester Square, London, he went on to run a programme of master-classes in Japan and the United States, where he lived and worked before family commitments forced him to return to the UK. He now lives in Swaffham, Norfolk.
|
He has been involved in choreographing shows for London Fashion Week, The Royal Festival Hall and has taught members of a variety of City firms as part of their professional development programmes. Placing great emphasis upon dance as a route into personal and management development, Xavier has also undertaken professional qualifications in pyschological kinesiology and remedial body work therapy. He read for his BSc as a mature student; it was awarded in 1995. He specialises in teaching social dancers, being a great believer in the transformative power of dance. As he and his brother both say: "It's a great contact sport". He is partnered by his wife Joanna, who came to the disciplines of Ballroom and Latin dance a little later in life than most and is currently training with the IDTA . She is a teacher in her own right, with a background in performance theory (in which she holds an MA) and this provides a platform from which to explore the authenticity of expressive movement. She has been accepted to conduct further research in dance anthropology at Roehampton University. She says: "I fell in love with ballroom when I realised that I could dance a quickstep to The Lovecats by The Cure." |
