Training: Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, Dance Theatre of Harlem school

Ballet career: Mark Elie was born and raised in a London children’s home, and joined Carol Straker and others at the Dance Theatre of Harlem school in 1981. He then went on to join Ballet Gulbenkian, Lisbon, and in 1994, the Carol Straker Dance Company where he remained for four years.

Dance career: In 1995, he set up the Mark Elie Dance Foundation at the Portobello Dance School, to provide access to affordable education tuition in dance to low income families. This led to his establishing Classically British & Co, which aims to promote the wealth of dancing talent in the UK.