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{{short description|Irish ballet dancer and teacher}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2014}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=May 2019}}

'''Monica Loughman''' is an [[Irish people|Irish]] ballet dancer and teacher, writer, and television personality. She was the first Westerner to achieve solo status with the [[Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre|Perm State Theatre of Opera and Ballet]] of Russia, where she danced for 16 years. On her return to Ireland, she established a network of ballet schools. She was also featured on a television series, ''[[Ballet Chancers]]'', and appeared in other TV shows such as ''[[The Panel (Irish TV series)|The Panel]]'', ''[[The Podge and Rodge Show]]'', ''[[Tubridy Tonight]]'' and ''[[The Late Late Show (Ireland)|The Late Late Show]].'' She is co-author of a book about her experiences.

==Early life==
Loughman is from [[Santry]] in [[Dublin]], and attended [[Manor House School, Raheny|Manor House School]], [[Raheny]].<ref name="AOT_class">{{cite news |last1=O'Toole |first1=Aileen |title=My old school photo |url=https://www.thejournal.ie/readme/manor-house-gathering-aileen-otoole-1120525-Oct2013/ |accessdate=7 May 2019 |work=TheJournal.ie |date=9 October 2013}}</ref> Her parents are Edward and Monica Loughman.<ref>{{cite news |last1=O'Farrell |first1=Michael |date=16 December 2002 |title=Dublin ballerina is centre of attention |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-10036463.html |accessdate=22 September 2024 |work=Irish Examiner}}</ref>

==Ballet Career==
===Ballet career in Russia===
Loughman left Ireland at the age of fourteen for Perm State Ballet in Russia, becoming one of the few [[Western Europe|Westerners]] to dance for the prestigious [[Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre|Perm State Theatre of Opera and Ballet]].<ref>[http://www.maverickhouse.com/author.html?aid=15&no_cache=1&title=Monica%20Loughman "Author Information"]. Maverick House. Accessed 14 December 2008.</ref> She trained and danced for the company for 16 years.

===Ballet career in Ireland===
Back in Ireland, Loughman established a full-time training programme for professional ballet dancers, as well as a network of ballet schools. She created a ballet company by training indigenous dancers and hiring the support of Russian ballet figures. Starting with ballet schools taking children from age four and upwards, she built, over ten years, a progression to a youth company (Irish Youth Russian Ballet) and then the Monica Loughman Elite Ballet, as featured in Dance Europe magazine. Her company is now Ireland's largest structure of ballet training schools, and performs The Nutcracker, Vivaldi Seasons, Giselle and La Sylphide, The Monica Loughman Elite Ballet is committed to staging classical "main scale" ballet throughout Ireland and nurturing a new generation of dancers, choreographers and audiences. In a milestone decision, the Irish Arts Council funded a tour of The Nutcracker to theatres throughout Ireland in 2013.{{Citation needed|date=May 2019}}

Loughman currently trains dancers for professional careers in ballet, and for example, four young girls she trained were accepted for an apprenticeship with the Russian Ballet Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia.{{Citation needed|date=May 2019}}

===Media===
On 21 September 2006, Loughman appeared on ''[[Dustin's Daily News]]''.<ref>[http://www.rte.ie/tv/theden/ddn/ddn_avlong.html?2106870,240,230 ''DDN'' 21 September 2006] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080502020126/http://www.rte.ie/tv/theden/ddn/ddn_avlong.html?2106870%2C240%2C230 |date=2 May 2008 }}. RTÉ. Accessed 14 November 2008.</ref> Loughman appeared on the [[List of The Podge and Rodge Show episodes|twenty-fourth episode of the third season]] of ''The Podge and Rodge Show'', alongside the celebrity solicitor [[Gerald Kean]] on 11 February 2007. On 15 February 2007, she appeared on youth chat programme, ''The Cafe'', alongside celebrity weatherman [[Dáithí Ó Sé]] and [[Luan Parle]].<ref>[http://www.rte.ie/tv/ttv/thecafe/thecafe_20070215_av.html?2220612,240,230 15 February 2007]. RTÉ. Accessed 7 November 2008.</ref> On 17 February 2007, Loughman appeared on the primetime chat show, ''Tubridy Tonight'', alongside [[Bill O'Herlihy]], [[Fionnula Flanagan]] and [[The Waterboys]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/tv/tubridytonight/20070217.html|title=Saturday, 17 February 2007|accessdate=3 October 2008|publisher=[[Tubridy Tonight]] on [[RTÉ]]}}</ref> On 4 December 2008, Loughman resurrected her sequence of guest appearances when she appeared on ''[[The Panel (Irish TV series)|The Panel]]'' alongside the journalist [[Niall Stanage]].<ref>"[http://www.rte.ie/tv/thepanel/20081204.html Thursday, 4 December 2008]". ''[[The Panel (Irish TV series)|The Panel]]'' on RTÉ. Accessed 18 November 2008.</ref> She also appeared on ''[[The Late Late Show (Ireland)|The Late Late Show]]''.

In a 2008 television series, [[Ballet Chancers]], Loughman worked on training six young people, schooled in [[hip hop]], to appreciate the art of ballet.<ref>[http://www.rte.ie/tv/balletchancers/ "Ballet Chancers"]. RTÉ. Accessed 14 December 2008.</ref>

In 2014 Loughman appeared in the [[Channel 4]] series [[Big Ballet]] with [[Wayne Sleep]], as she worked with a troupe of plus-size amateur dancers to realise their dream of dancing Swan Lake.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/channel-4s-new-big-ballet-defying-ballets-body-politics-9082776.html Independent - Channel 4's new 'Big Ballet': Defying ballet’s body politics (26 January, 2014)]</ref>

==Personal life==
Loughman and her former partner, Robert Gabdullin, have one son, Damien (b.March 2010).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dwyer |first1=Ciara |date=19 December 2011 |title=Monica's turning point |url=https://www.independent.ie/life/monicas-turning-point/26803760.html |accessdate=22 September 2024 |work=Irish Independent}}</ref>

==Publication==
{{Quote box | width=30% | align=right | quote="If a teacher hits you, it means they're paying attention to you. It was better to be hit than to be ignored."|source= <sup>Monica Loughman in ''The Irish Ballerina''.</sup> }}
Loughman has co-written a book, ''The Irish Ballerina'', with [[County Meath]]-based author, Jean Harrington, who helped the former Dublin prostitute Martina Keogh write her story in ''Survivor''. Published in 2004 by [[Maverick House Publishers]], the book discusses her childhood Russian experiences performing ballet.<ref>[http://www.maverickhouse.com/book.html?bid=15&title=Irish%20Ballerina,%20The&no_cache=1 "Irish Ballerina, The"]. Maverick House. Accessed 14 December 2008.</ref> The book was reviewed in ''The Meath Chronicle''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maverickhouse.com/review.html?rid=206&title=Review%20for%20Irish%20Ballerina,%20The&no_cache=1|title=Meath writer tells Russian tale of an Irish ballerina|date=27 November 2004|accessdate=14 December 2008|publisher=The [[Meath Chronicle]]}}</ref> and ''The Sunday Business Post''<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.maverickhouse.com/review.html?rid=207&title=Review%20for%20Irish%20Ballerina,%20The&no_cache=1|title=Story dances off the page|date=5 December 2004|accessdate=14 December 2008|newspaper=[[The Sunday Business Post]]}}</ref> and Loughman was interviewed for the magazine ''Woman's Way'' in December 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maverickhouse.com/review.html?rid=208&title=Review%20for%20Irish%20Ballerina,%20The&no_cache=1|title=Celeb Chat|date=14 December 2004|accessdate=14 December 2008|publisher=[[Woman's Way]]}}</ref>

She has also appeared in various magazines and newspapers, including the ''[[Meath Chronicle]]'', ''[[The Sunday Business Post]]'' and ''[[Woman's Way]]''

== See also ==
* [[List of women writers]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090511213808/http://www.rteguide.ie/2008/1115/thehotshow.html ''RTÉ Guide'' Interview with Loughman]

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loughman, Monica}}
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:20th-century Irish women]]
[[Category:Dancers from Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:People educated at Manor House School, Raheny]]
[[Category:Irish ballerinas]]
[[Category:21st-century Irish women]]
[[Category:Irish women writers]]
[[Category:Irish television personalities]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Perm State Choreographic College alumni]]
[[Category:People from Santry]]

Monica Loughman - Revision history

imported>Plastikspork: Undid revision 1274599697 by 176.61.71.139 (talk)